The Escapades of Teddy Lupin
by nymphxdora
Summary: Teddy Lupin is about to start his first year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Little does he know that the next seven years are going to be a roller-coaster of emotions, experiences and events that will challenge everything he has ever known and believed in.
1. Chapter 1: Acceptance

**The Escapades of Teddy Lupin**

**A/N:**Anything recognisable belongs to J.K. Rowling!

**Chapter One: Acceptance **

Teddy Lupin was still half-asleep when he came downstairs to find his grandmother and godfather sitting and having a chat on the sofa. It was still early morning in Cornwall; the sun was still ascending, casting its' rays over the beautiful coast and through the windows of Shell Cottage. Teddy and Andromeda had arrived from their house in Godric's Hollow a few days earlier, and were to be staying with Bill and Fleur Weasley for the rest of the summer. Harry and Ginny would be staying for a few days as well- Harry had arrived the previous day, and Ginny would be arriving soon with the children, after she finished writing up a few last-minute articles for the_ Daily Prophet_.

He slumped himself down on a chair, pulling the sleeve of his pajama top up over his shoulder to hide the intricately-drawn tattoo that he had done using one of his Muggle pens the previous night. Andromeda handed him an envelope. "This came for you earlier," she said, smiling widely. "Congratulations, Teddy."

Teddy held the envelope gingerly in his hand. His name and address were written out neatly in black in ink on the back- he was very impressed that whoever had addressed the envelope had managed not to smudge the ink at all. Every single time _he _wrote a letter, he often got black marks all over the paper, as well as the desk he was writing on. He had once stolen- well, he preferred to use the word _borrowed_- Andromeda's wand and tried to use an anti-smudge charm on one of his letters to Victoire Weasley, but the paper had caught on fire. He hadn't attempted it again- although that was probably due to the fact that Andromeda now kept her wand locked up when she wasn't using it.

Teddy flipped the envelope over and gently removed the Hogwarts seal, trying to take care not to rip it. Naturally, of course, there was a loud tearing sound. Andromeda sighed dramatically and took the envelope from him, taking out the letter inside and unfolding it carefully. She then gave it back to Teddy, who read out loud:

_Dear Mr. Lupin,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed, a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We shall await your owl no later than July 31._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Filius Flitwick_

_Deputy Headmaster_

Teddy looked up at Harry and Andromeda, who were grinning happily. "Oh you are going to have _such _a good time at Hogwarts, Teddy!" Andromeda exclaimed. She removed the list of school materials and quickly scanned through it. "Yes…yes, we'll have to head down to London one of these days to pick some of these up…I do suppose you can use some of your mother's old schoolbooks- she should have some useful notes in there…that is, presuming she did take notes."

Excitement coursed through Teddy's veins. He had been awaiting this day for as long as he could remember- waiting to get his letter and go to Hogwarts to learn all he could about magic and the magical world that he had grown up in. Perhaps he would finally be able to perfect an anti-smudge charm- as well as a particularly fancy spell he'd found in on of his father's old books that involved enchanting words to change color every ten seconds. He thought that might particularly impress Victoire, especially considering that her own knowledge of magic would be limited until she entered Hogwarts the following year.

Harry seemed to understand Teddy's mood exactly. "Bet you can't wait to go, right Ted?" he said, grinning when Teddy's hair changed to a bright shade of yellow. "I wonder what house you'll be in."

"They say it runs in families, right?" Teddy asked, his brow furrowing and his hair darkening.

"It often does," Andromeda nodded. "But you've got a good variety of houses within your own family tree. Your mother and grandfather were in Hufflepuff, your father was in Gryffindor, and I was in Slytherin…my, the sorting hat is going to have a tough time with you," she laughed.

"But of course, personality does matter the most," Harry reminded him. "The Sorting Hat will take your traits into account and use those to place you accordingly. It's hardly ever wrong."

"Hm," Teddy said, thinking to himself. He'd grown up with Gryffindors- most of his godfather's friends belonged to the house of the brave, and Teddy had often found himself admiring them. But he didn't think he had the nerve, or the daring to be a part of them. He certainly wasn't cunning and ambitious enough to be a good Slytherin. Perhaps he'd be a Hufflepuff like his mother- he didn't know enough about the house to say for sure.

But there was no point dwelling on something that was well and truly out of his control. He was, anyway, distracted from his thoughts of Hogwarts when a young, silvery-blonde girl came charging down the stairs in a pair of pink, plaid pajamas.

"Good morning Mrs. Tonks, Harry," she said, smiling widely at them. "Hi Teddy."

"Hi Victoire," Teddy said, a light blush creeping onto his cheeks. "Good sleep?"

"Yeah, brilliant," she grinned. "What's that then?" she gestured to the letter on his lap.

"Teddy got his Hogwarts letter," Andromeda said proudly.

Victoire's mouth fell open and Teddy laughed. "Don't look so shocked Vic- it's not like I'm a squib or something."

"No, no, it's not that," Victoire garbled, jumping onto the couch next to Teddy. "Let's see then. Wow, I can't believe it Ted- you're finally going to Hogwarts. I mean, we've been talking about it for _ages, _about all the subjects and the magic and the Quidditch and…wow, Teddy I wish I was going too!"

"You will be next year," he reminded her.

Victoire's face contorted into a frown. "That is, if maman lets me. She's been at it with dad again." Her voice changed into a very accurate imitation of Fleur. "_But Victoire eez 'alf-French after all- she should go to mon école- my school. Our Beauxbatons eez far superior to your 'Ogwarts. I will only 'ave the finest education for mon chérie." _

Teddy and Harry laughed and Andromeda suppressed a smile. Victoire only looked frustrated. "No one thinks to ask me what I want- I mean, all of _my _friends will be going to Hogwarts. I don't want to go to Beauxbatons with those stuck up French girls…"

"Are you saying that I am a stuck-up French girl?" a voice echoed out from behind them. Victoire turned very pink and Teddy turned around to see Fleur Weasley standing behind them, hands on her hips and eyebrows raised.

"No, no, of course not maman!" Victoire exclaimed, letting out a half-hearted laugh. "I'm just saying that I would much prefer to go to Hogwarts, where I'm sure I would fit in much better. And all my friends will be going to Hogwarts. Look! Teddy's even gotten his letter already. _Vous comprenez, non?"_

"We will discuss zees later." Fleur said, walking towards her daughter. "Congratulations Teddy- I am sure you will 'ave an excellent time at 'Ogwarts. After all, your entire family 'as been to 'Ogwarts, non? _You _would not be the first one to go to a different school," she said, looking pointedly at Victoire who pretended not to hear her mother.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley," Teddy said, suppressing a laugh.

* * *

It was a week before Andromeda found enough time to take Teddy down to Diagon Alley to buy his things for school. Victoire had begged her parents to let her go along as well, and they had relented. Dominique had tried the same thing, but was told that it was unrealistic for Andromeda to take all three children via side-along Apparition without splinching someone or the other, so Dominique had confined herself to her room, evidently sulking heavily. Teddy had tried to go and see her, but the eight-year-old had stubbornly shoved the door in his face.

"Nikki will get over it…eventually," Victoire reassured Teddy as he came down the stairs looking awfully downcast. He was quite fond of the younger girl- he looked at her as a sister and certainly didn't want her to stay angry at him over what she perceived as his 'preference for Victoire'.

Andromeda was waiting for them, and as soon as they were deemed ready to go (which for Teddy involved going back upstairs to change his shirt and morph his hair into a decent color because Andromeda was "not going to be seen out at Diagon Alley with her grandson in a sleeveless band shirt and bright turquoise hair"), they Disapparated and reappeared in the bustling wizard street.

They went into Flourish and Blotts first to buy Teddy's textbooks. Victoire followed Teddy around, helping him search for the books on the lengthy list that Professor McGonagall had sent and babbling about the different subjects.

"Of course, Transfiguration seems incredibly interesting but I hear it's incredibly difficult, so I'll probably be rubbish at it, but I'm sure you'll be fantastic, Teddy, I mean technically your morphing already counts as a form of transfiguration so…"

A boy about Teddy's age interrupted her. He had light brown hair and wide green eyes. "Hello," he said. "Sorry to interrupt- are you Hogwarts too?"

Victoire looked startled. "No. I mean- I'm not. Yet. This is Teddy," she said, gesturing at Teddy, who raised a hand in greeting. "He's starting this year."

"Hi," Teddy said, smiling at the boy.

The boy smiled back. "I'm Alfie. It's nice to meet you, Teddy. Are your parents wizards?"

Victoire opened her mouth to respond, but Teddy beat her to it. "Yeah, they are. I'm here with my gran though- but she's a wizard too."

"Oh. I'm the first wizard in my family. Muggle-born, I think the right term is? Anyway, this place is a little crazy and my mum's always been a bit faint of the heart, so she's had to go and sit down at that place…what's it called, the Leaky Cauldron? I think that's it. So she's sent me off to grab my books, and I can't find _anything_. I was wondering if you could help me?"

"Of course!" Teddy replied warmly. "We'd only be too happy to help. The transfiguration book's here," he took out a copy of _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration _and handed it to Alfie, who looked at it curiously.

"What exactly is transfiguration?"

"It's the magical science of turning one object into another," Victoire said. "You know- teacups into mice, that kind of thing."

Alfie's eyes widened. "Is it difficult?"

"It's one of the hardest subjects there is, yeah."

"I hope I don't have any difficulty with it then," he puffed up his chest. "I'm determined to become a fantastic wizard- my parents were _ever _so proud when I got my letter- there's never been a wizard in my family before- I think I mentioned that already? Well anyway, I know that I can be really great. But I'll probably need loads of help. I mean, you guys…growing up in Wizard families means that you'll probably have a head start."

"Not really," Teddy said, as they walked through shelves of books, looking for the next texts on their lists. "I mean, we're not really allowed to use magic- whatever happens happens without our control."

"But you've seen it happening," Alfie replied, taking the copy of _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade One _that Teddy was handing him. "I've never been exposed to that."

"True. But it's not like we have much of an idea about how to do it. And anyway, some of the best wizards of our time have been Muggle-borns. I don't know if you've heard of her, but there's this muggle-born witch named Hermione Granger- she's pretty high up in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and she played a key role in the Second Wizarding War…" Alfie's eyes widened. "Sorry, don't quite know if you know about that, but it was a war some time back, eleven years ago." He ignored the stabbing pain in his chest. _Eleven years, two months and six days_. He knows the exact ending date of the war- how could he forget it? It was the date when his parents died (and of course, it was Victoire's birthday).

"Wow…she sounds great, but bloody hell…I never realized there were _wars _and stuff in the Wizarding world!"

"Yeah," Teddy said, absentmindedly. "Yeah, there are. I think they'll teach us about them in Hogwarts- there's a class called History of Magic. And you can always look them up in the Hogwarts library."

"Think I might do that then," Alfie said, almost to himself.

It took them about ten more minutes to collect the rest of their books. Andromeda joined them at the counter. She smiled warmly at Alfie when Teddy introduced him as a new friend who would also be starting at Hogwarts.

"Are you sure you don't need any more help Alfie?" Andromeda asked, as they exited Flourish and Blotts carrying heavy bags filled with books.

"No, thank you very much Mrs….um…"

"Tonks."

"Right, Mrs. Tonks. I'll be fine," he stuffed his change into his pocket. "I should be off now- my mum'll likely be feeling better. It was lovely meeting you. Bye Teddy! Bye Victoire!" He turned off in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron.

"I have a feeling Teddy's going to be _very _popular at Hogwarts," Victoire said. "He's already made a friend, and he hasn't even gotten on the train yet! Of course, the dark purple hair might help…"

* * *

The very last place they went to before heading back to Shell Cottage was a small, but well-known shop. It was here that they would find the most important object that Teddy would require in his studies of magic. The sign outside the shop had seen better days, but it was still possible to make out the worn letters. _Ollivanders. _

A bell rang as Andromeda, Teddy and Victoire stepped over the threshold of the doorway. A ladder carrying Ollivander himself swung into sight from behind the shelves filled with dusty boxes. The proprietor too, had seen better days. His skin was wallow and thin, wrinkles covering his ancient face. Yet he still managed to climb off the ladder and smile warmly at the customers entering his shop.

"Andromeda," he said, recognizing the older witch. "Tonks, now, isn't it?" Andromeda nodded. "Why, I still remember selling you your first wand when you were a child- thirteen inches, mahogany with a dragon heartstring core, am I correct?"

Andromeda smiled. "Yes you are. I still use it. A most splendid wand, it is."

"Yes, of course. And of course, I remember selling your daughter her wand." He sobered slightly. "I was very sorry to hear of her passing. I remember when she stepped in here, she had such a vibrant personality. Kept changing her hair color all the time."

"What, like this?" Teddy interrupted, screwing up his nose. His hair changed from dark purple to a bright pink, to a jewel-toned turquoise and back to the dark purple.

Ollivander chuckled. "You must be Nymphadora's son."

"I'm Teddy," he said.

"And this is?" Ollivander asked, gesturing to Victoire who smiled shyly.

"This is Victoire, Teddy's friend," Andromeda said. "She won't be needing a wand today- she goes to Hogwarts next year. Teddy, on the other hand, is quite in need of your expertise."

"But of course," Ollivander graciously bowed and Teddy wondered if he should do the same. He almost did, but realized that if it had been expected of him, his gran would probably have given him a very sharp look- and since she hadn't, there really was no point in embarrassing himself.

Ollivander scanned the shelves of wands, muttering to himself before selecting one. "Here," he said, removing it from his wand and handing it to Teddy, who took it from him gingerly. "Grip it firmly and give it a wave."

Teddy did as he was told, only to witness a glass on Ollivander's desk shatter. Andromeda impulsively pulled her wand from her robes and muttered "reparo", reforming the glass.

"Not that one then," Ollivander snatched the wand from Teddy. As he searched through the wand boxes, he said "thank you for reparing the glass, Andromeda dear. You have no idea how many times I have had to perform that spell. It becomes terribly dull after a while."

"It's no problem," Andromeda replied. "When you live with Teddy, repairing spells become a reflex." Victoire giggled and Teddy flushed.

"Yes, I recall Nymphadora was very clumsy as well- she dropped several of my wands when selecting hers."

Teddy smiled to himself- he secretly loved it when people who had known his parents compared him to them- picking up on the similarities. It made him feel connected to them on an innate level.

Ollivander handed him another wand. Teddy gave it wave and this time, instead of breaking something, the wand began to glow. Ollivander smiled. "Well dear, I think you've found your wand. Very interesting- eleven and half inches, cedar with a unicorn hair core. The same core as your father had."

* * *

It was late evening by the time they got back to Shell Cottage- Andromeda had had to Apparate and Disapparate between the two places several times in order to safely transport Teddy's newly bought school materials, as well as Teddy and Victoire themselves.

Teddy heaved the bags filled with magical ware up the stairs. As he entered his room, he looked at the calendar on the wall. There were just twenty days left until he would finally be going to Hogwarts. He wasn't sure how on Earth he was going to wait.

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! I'll try to update sometime this week, although I do have an exam. Reviews are much appreciated- reviewers get a Teddy with the hair colour of their choice. Also, I'd appreciate some suggestions about you think the head of Slytherin might be, 11 years after the Battle of Hogwarts. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2: Express

**Chapter Two: Express**

September the first found Teddy, Andromeda, Victoire, Dominique, Bill and Harry at King's Cross Station, unloading Teddy's trunk from the Knight Bus. Ginny and Fleur had opted to stay at Shell Cottage with the younger children, even though James had vehemently protested that he was five years old now and there was no way he was going to stay with the 'babies'.

Teddy was impeccably dressed in black jeans and a checkered button down-shirt. He had even morphed his hair into a decent shade of brown- although that was mainly because Andromeda had refused to let him leave the house in his preferred shade of turquoise. Teddy wasn't worried though- the moment he got on the train, he was determined to morph it back to blue and unbutton the checkered shirt to reveal his _Weird Sisters_ t-shirt. If the students on the train wanted to be friends with him, they'd better like him for whom he was.

Bill took Victoire and Dominique through the barrier first and Andromeda followed, leaving Harry and Teddy alone in the crowded station. Harry looked at Teddy and smiled. "Are you ready?"

Teddy gave a hesitant smile back. "Not exactly," he said. "I'm a little nervous, actually. What if..." he dropped his voice so that nobody but Harry would be able to hear me. "What if nobody likes me? What if they all think…I don't know, that I'm a freak or something?" His hair turned a shade of light pink.

Harry reached out and placed one hand on his godson's shoulder. "I wouldn't worry, Teddy. You're sure to make friends."

"But how do you _know _that?"

Harry sighed. "When I got on that train for the first time, I was just as scared as you were. I didn't know anything about this wizarding world, but it seemed to know all about me. I was a spectacle, because of my scar." He gestured to the thin, lightning shaped scar that still marred his forehead. "But I still made amazing friends, who liked me for who I was. You will too, Teddy, I'm sure of it. Plus, didn't you say you'd already made a friend that day at Diagon Alley? Alfie, wasn't it?"

Teddy smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I suppose so. Thanks Uncle Harry."

"It's nothing Teddy. And remember, you can write to us as often as you like. I'll write at least once a week, and I'm sure your grandmother will probably write once a day for the first few weeks."

Teddy stifled a laugh. "Of course she will. And she'll ask about the most mundane things. _Have you been eating properly? Is your hair still brown? Edward Lupin, I swear to Merlin if I hear that you have put a toe out of line, I will disown you._"

Harry laughed and gestured at the barrier. "Shall we then?" he said. "Together?"

"Together," Teddy said firmly. He gripped the trolley and Harry followed suit. They broke into a run and as they neared the barrier, Teddy reflexively braced himself for an impact that never came.

Instead, he was standing on a narrow platform, filled with teenagers. The huge, black Hogwarts Express was on the tracks, surrounded by steam. He moved away from the barrier- terrified that someone else would come flying through it and knock into him- and towards his friends and family, who were standing off to the side.

Emotional goodbyes followed. Bill clapped Teddy on the back and told him that these years were to be the best of his life- so he should enjoy them. Andromeda hugged him and said (predictably) that if she heard so much as a whisper about Teddy breaking the rules, she would be sending a Howler. Yet such a statement contrasted heavily with the tears that formed in her eyes as she told him how proud she was of him, and that she couldn't believe that he had grown so much. Teddy hugged her again and mumbled a request for her to stop crying, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect.

As Andromeda dug around in her bag for tissues, Dominique approached Teddy and handed him a piece of paper covered in glitter. It was a crayon drawing of a young boy with multi-coloured hair wearing Hogwarts robes, captioned "Good luck Teddy! Luv Dominique." Teddy's face broke into a huge smile and he hugged the little girl, who turned a bright shade of red.

Victoire threw her arms around Teddy and mumbled "I'm going to miss you" into his hair.

"I'll miss you too Vic," he said, smiling at her. "And don't worry- I'll write loads."

"You'd better," she said, in a tone that distinctly reminded Teddy of Fleur. "If you don't, _I'll _send you a Howler."

Teddy laughed. "You won't need to, I promise. I'll keep you updated on everything that's going on, yeah?"

"Yeah," Victoire said, before hugging Teddy again. When she let go, she held him at arms length and said: "You're my best friend, Ted, you know that, yeah?"

Teddy felt the muscles in his face loosen as his grin widened. "Of course Vic. And you're my best friend."

"So you won't forget me?"

"Of course not!" Teddy exclaimed. "It's pretty impossible to forget you. No matter how many new friends I make- you'll always be the very best."

The Hogwarts Express let out a low toot and the other students on the platform began scrambling to get onto the train, shouting goodbyes to parents and siblings. Harry patted Teddy on the back. "Probably time for you to get going, Ted."

"Yeah," Teddy turned from Victoire to his godfather. "It probably is."

Harry walked Teddy to the entrance of the train and helped him pass his trunk to the porter who was faced with the daunting task of putting the trunks of all the Hogwarts students into the luggage compartment. Teddy then turned to Harry and hugged him.

"I'll miss you, Uncle Harry," he said.

"I know Teddy. I'll miss you too."

With that, Teddy climbed up into the train- just in time too, as it began to move just as soon as he'd gotten inside. He waved goodbye to his family, who waved back enthusiastically. He couldn't be sure at the distance, but he thought that he could see tears in Victoire's eyes.

Once the station was out of view, Teddy screwed up his nose, changing his hair colour to a bright turquoise and unbuttoned his shirt. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he reached into his pocket and drew out an old, battered photo and gazed down at it.

A tall, brunette man smiled up at him, his arm around a laughing woman with shocking pink hair. They were holding a little boy- a baby, no more than a month old, with hair that kept changing color. Teddy looked at the photo fondly and ran his finger along the worn edge.

"I wish you were here," Teddy said, looking any the photo sadly. He only knew what his parents looked like from pictures, only knew what they were like from anecdotes told by Andromeda or friends. He wished he had had a proper chance to get to know them. He wished that they could have been at the platform to say goodbye, to admonish him for his turquoise hair and punk clothing. But none of that was possible, not in this lifetime.

Teddy gave the photo one last look before slipping it back into his pocket and making his way through the train, trying to find space in a compartment. He walked past groups of giggling girls who looked at his hair approvingly, a couple of sixth-years who seemed very involved in reading a potions book, another group of sixth years who seemed very involved in reading a copy of Witch Weekly and a few other miscellaneous groups of students. He kept an eye out for Alfie, but couldn't seem to find him.

He eventually found a compartment. It was vacant, apart from a first-year girl with long black hair and a tanned complexion deeply engrossed in a book entitled _Hogwarts: A History_. Teddy cleared his throat as he entered the compartment and the girl glanced up, looking at him over a pair of rectangular glasses.

"Is anyone...um, sitting here?" he asked.

"No, no just me," the girl responded, pushing her glasses up her button nose. "Please, have a seat." Her voice was soft, giving her an ethereal air of complacency.

"Thanks," Teddy said, walking up to the seat opposite the girl and sitting down. The girl watched him curiously over her book.

"Are you a Metamorphmagus?" she asked.

Teddy looked at her, startled. "Wh- I mean, yes I am. How'd you know?"

"It's logical, really," the girl stared at him with large hazel eyes. "No parent would ever in their right mind allow their eleven-year-old son to dye his hair such an unnatural colour."

Teddy laughed. "I suppose you're right. No one's ever guessed that I'm a Metamorphmagus before though."

"Yes, most wizards aren't very logical. They don't use their brains- quite stupid of them, really, just think of all the new information they would gain by simply opening up their mind a little." The girl put her book down and smiled at him. "I'm Ella, by the way. Ella Anderson." She stuck out her hand and Teddy shook it.

"I'm Teddy. Teddy Lupin."

"Lovely to meet you Teddy. Is that short for Theodore or Edward?"

"Edward," he said, rather amazed at Ella's guessing skills.

"Thought so. Ella's boring- it's not short for anything, and there are no short forms of it. Unless you count El, which I don't because it's horrible."

"I think it's a lovely name," he said earnestly.

"Do you?" Her question made him feel uncomfortable- he didn't know whether he should respond or not. Thankfully, she settled back against her chair and said, "that's very kind of you."

"Not a problem."

Ella's eyes fell to the logo on Teddy's shirt. "You like the Weird Sisters?" she inquired casually.

"Yeah. Yeah, they were my mum's favourite band. Me and my friend Victoire have been secretly listening to their music since I was about nine- our families didn't exactly approve."

"Victoire... French, isn't it? Is she here too or is she going to Beauxbatons?"

"Yeah, Vic's half-French. She's a year younger, so she'll be coming next year if her mum lets her." He suddenly realised he wouldn't be seeing Victoire for several months, and a sudden pang shot through him. Growing up, he and Victoire had been almost inseparable- he didn't know how he was going to manage such a protracted period of time without her.

"Well she seems lovely."

"How do you know?" Teddy was curious to hear Ella's "logical" explanation for this.

"Anyone who likes the Weird Sisters is typically lovely," she said, with a smile. Teddy gaped at get and she said, "yeah, I don't strike people as the type of person who'd like them-do I?"

"You did seen like more of the classical music type to me," Teddy remarked, honestly.

"That's another thing wizards- and Muggles too, I suppose, are often so guilty of- judging people by their covers," she smiled at Teddy, who grinned back. He was beginning to quite like this girl- she was very different from other people that he had met before.

"I think we're going to be friends," he blurted, not really thinking about what he was saying.

Ella raised an eyebrow in response. "Yes, I suppose we are."

"So, given any thought to what house you'll be in?" Teddy asked, echoing the question he had discussed with Andromeda and Harry a month and a half earlier.

Ella's eyes widened. "Well, I thought it'd have been obvious of course- Ravenclaw. I'm pretty sure that's where I'll end up- I'd certainly like to end up there. What about you? Ravenclaw as well?"

Teddy snorted. "No, I'm probably too stupid for Ravenclaw. I dunno, maybe Hufflepuff?"

"No one is stupid- everyone's just smart in their own, unique ways," Ella said, sounding much older than her eleven years. Teddy thought that she really would make a good Ravenclaw- even though he had just met her, he could see that she had the traits that Rowena Ravenclaw had considered so important in a student. "Hufflepuff's a lovely house though- my granddad was one."

"Yeah, my mum and grandad were too. Dad was a Gryffindor though, and gran was a Slytherin."

"You don't strike me as a Slytherin..." Ella began, only to be interrupted by Alfie peeking into the compartment. "Hello there," she said blankly.

"Hi," Alfie said. He sounded out of breath, as if he had been running. "Sorry- hi Teddy."

"You alright there Alfie?" Teddy said, concerned. "Come on in, sit down." As Alfie sat down next to him, Teddy introduced Alfie to Ella, who smiled warmly at him.

"Alfie short for Alfred?" she asked. "Are you friends with Teddy?"

"Yeah, short for Alfred- but don't call me Alfred, it's bloody awful. When I'm successful, I'll change my name legally. Don't want people calling me Alfred," he shuddered dramatically. "And yeah, I know Teddy. We met at Flourish and Blotts."

"What an excellent place to meet!" Ella exclaimed. "Bookstores are fantastic, don't you think? And Flourish and Blotts…well, it's just got everything that anyone could ever want, doesn't it? So much information…"

"Er…yeah," Alfie said, glancing at Teddy and raising his eyebrow as if to say '_is this girl bloody mad?' _"We were just buying our schoolbooks though."

"Oh, have you looked through them yet? I have, of course. Got plenty of questions though."

"I, er, skimmed through them," Alfie looked awfully terrified. "Were we…supposed to read them beforehand?"

"No, no," Teddy said quickly before Ella could say anything. "No, I mean- you can if you want to, but we're not required to have any pre-existing magical knowledge or anything before we get there."

"Oh, good."

"So where are you from, Alfie?" Ella asked curiously.

"Oxfordshire," Alfie replied. "My dad's a professor down at Oxford University."

"Oh that's that Muggle college!" Ella exclaimed. "Expect you'll be in Ravenclaw then too!"

"Sorry?"

"Ravenclaw."

"What?"

"Rae-ven-claw," Ella looked bewildered and her expression was mirrored by Alfie's.

"It's one of the houses at Hogwarts," Teddy stepped in to explain. "They sort you according to the traits that the founders of Hogwarts valued. Ravenclaw's the one for people who value knowledge."

"Oh, I don't think I'll be in there," Alfie said quickly.

"But if you've lived in such an academic town, it's only _logical _that some of that desire and love for knowledge would have rubbed off on you!" Ella exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I'm not really that into…you know, books and stuff."

"B…books and s-s-stuff?" Ella's eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of her skull. Teddy noticed a conflict coming on and he quickly stepped in, giving Ella a look. Much to his amusement, she gave him one back.

"So what took you so long to find us, Alfie?" Teddy asked, changing the subject deftly.

"Oh," Alfie blushed. "I didn't see you on the platform so I got into the train and figured I'd grab a compartment near the front, you know, so I could see you as you got in. So I went and sat down. Next thing I know, a bunch of fifth, sixth and seventh-years are piling in. They barely noticed me. In fact, it was only when they started their meeting that they realized that I wasn't supposed to be there."

"Meeting?"

"It was the Prefect's cabin," Alfie said, his face beginning to resemble a tomato. Teddy suppressed the urge to laugh, and patted his friend on the back.

"It's okay, there's no way you could've known anyway."

"Yeah. Just a bit embarrassing, you know? What ever are they going to think of me now?"

"I wouldn't worry too much."

"Ye…hey! Teddy! Your hair!"

"What about it?"

"It's a different colour! That day, when I met you…it was a dark, purpley-black kind of thing, but now…"

Teddy grinned. He was used to this by now- he had explained his powers thousands of times before to all sorts of people who were all incredibly amazed by it. Most people had, after all, never heard of Metamorphmagi and were _horrible _at recognizing them. Ella was the only person he'd met who'd known straight away. He quickly demonstrated his skills to Alfie by turning his nose into a beak and back and explained his ability.

Alfie's eyes were huge by the time he was finished. "Man, that's wicked! You think I could learn how to do that."

"Metamorphmagi are born, not made," Ella said. "Right, Teddy?"

"Yeah, right," Teddy said, feeling horrible as Alfie's face visibly fell. "But there are loads of potions and stuff that you can use to change your appearance."

"You think they'll teach us how to make those at Hogwarts?"

"They do, I think, in second-year," Ella replied.

"Anything about them in that book you're reading?"

"This one?" Ella held up _Hogwarts: A History_. "No, but I think my mum has some books on them at home…she loves books- converted literally an entire room in our house into her own personal library."

"Was she in Ravenclaw?" Teddy asked. Ella knew far too much about the magical world to be a Muggle-born.

"Oh…oh no. She went…to…um, a different school."

Teddy noticed Ella's discomfort and was about to attempt to change the subject (yet again) when a plump woman pushing a trolley laden with all sorts of snacks knocked on the glass door of the compartment. "Anything from the trolley dears?"

Ella reached into her robes and pulled out a handful of galleons and sickles. Teddy's eyes widened and his hair changed to a shade of pale yellow- she certainly had more pocket money than he did- or rather, than he ever had. "We'll take three of everything," she said. "One for each of us."

"Ella, you don't have to…" Teddy began, but she stopped him.

"I want to," she said, smiling.

Alfie was looking at her incredulously. "Boy, I like you!" he exclaimed. Ella looked rather chuffed.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews! This chapter was a _lot _longer than planned and actually covered less material (whoops). Anyway, the sorting scene'll be coming up soon- any guesses as to which houses Teddy, Alfie & Ella will be in? As usual, reviews are much loved and appreciated and they motivate me to write more of this thing, so if you liked it (or even if you didn't) please feel free to drop by and give me some feedback!


	3. Chapter 3: Division (Unity)

**Disclaimer: **Anything recognizable belongs to J.K. Rowling

* * *

**Chapter Three: Division (Unity)**

The Hogwarts Express screeched to a stop at the station. Teddy, Alfie and Ella found themselves hustled out of the train by a wave of excited students, all clamoring to get up to the castle. The constant jostling was making Teddy feel quite sick- he had stuffed himself full of snacks from the trolley, thanks to Ella. He didn't look as green, though, as poor Alfie, whose first Every-Flavour Bean had just happened to be earwax-flavored. Teddy, unable to help himself, had howled with laughter at the disgusted expression on Alfie's face, while Ella had quietly reprimanded him and encouraged Alfie to try another one. Alfie had refused steadfastly.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Don' worry about yer baggage- they'll take it up teh the castle for yeh- owls an' everythin'. Firs' years!" A large man with long, curly black hair and a thick black beard flecked with grey yelled from the corner of the platform. Alfie stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Bloody hell…are there giants in this Wizarding World too? He's _got _to be one of them- never seen a guy that tall in my life!"

"He's a half-giant," Teddy informed Alfie. He had recognized the man instantly, thanks to his godfather's detailed description. "His name's Professor Hagrid- he teaches Care of Magical Creatures."

"We don't take that until third year though, and it's optional," Ella cut in quickly, noticing that Alfie looked absolutely terrified at the idea of '_magical creatures_'.

"I'm definitely going to take it," Teddy said. He had always been fascinated by magical creatures- Victoire had pointed out that it was likely due to his link to them. After all, his father had been a werewolf- a fact he had at first been shocked to find out about when he was eight, but had come to accept.

"Wh-what are some other…_magical creatures_?" Alfie asked, as they walked towards Hagrid and Ella immediately launched into a long list. Teddy was half-listening to her go on about unicorns and thestrals when someone pushed past him and stepped on his robes. He teetered around for a split second, until, unable to regain his balance, he fell face-first onto the platform.

Ella and Alfie gasped and immediately ran to help Teddy up. "Are you okay?" Ella asked, worriedly. "Your hair's changed to purple- does that mean you're hurt?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Teddy said, supporting himself on his friends as he raised himself up. He had a horrible tendency of falling down again as he got up (he had never quite perfected the art of balance and poise) but was determined not to embarrass himself in front of the entire platform. Yet then again, he sort of already had; he noticed various students looking at him, mixtures of concern and bemusement on their faces. _Great_, he thought. _Now I'll be known as the face-planting first year. Fan-bloody-tastic_. His hair lightened.

Alfie was glaring at an ash-blonde boy who was moving closer to the group of first-years that had huddled around Hagrid. "You could have at least apologized!" he shouted, loudly enough for some of the students standing near the boy to turn around, startled. The boy himself showed no indication of having heard Alfie.

"He made you fall! He pushed into you!" Alfie said angrily to Teddy.

"S'fine, Alfie, I'm okay now," Teddy forced a smile, even though his right arm- which he had thrown out to soften the fall- was starting to ache.

In the meanwhile, Hagrid made his way out of the group of first years and approached the three friends. "Yeh alright there?" he asked Teddy. "Pretty nasty fall yeh took."

Alfie opened his mouth as if to go on a tirade about the boy who'd pushed Teddy, but Teddy quickly said: "I'm fine." Absentmindedly, he shook his hair back to it's usual turquoise blue.

Hagrid's eyes widened. "Metamorphmagus! Blimey- yeh must be…" he cast a furtive glance at Ella and Alfie. "Edward, isn' it? Son o'…"

"Yeah," Teddy said quickly. He didn't want to risk Ella and Alfie finding out his parents' names- chances were, Ella might recognize them from something she'd read on the Second Wizarding War. Their friendship was new and he didn't know how they would react to finding out that he was both half-werewolf and an orphan. He needed support at Hogwarts. Not pity, or stigmatisation. I go by Teddy."

"Teddy, o' course, o' course!" Hagrid clapped Teddy on the back hard. "Yer godfather's written and tol' me all about yeh o' course. An' these must be yer friends," he gestured to Ella and Alfie who nodded meekly. "Well, come on, come on," he began walking back to the group of first years. "Can't be late now- if there's one thing the headmistress hates, it's latecomers."

"Er, excuse me…Professor..er, Hagrid, sir," Alfie said, jogging a little to keep up with the giant's huge strides. "Sorry if this is…a…stupid question, but how exactly, um, are we getting to Hogwarts?"

"Not a stupid question, 'course not!" Hagrid boomed. "We'll be going by boat!"

"Boat?"

* * *

The first years followed Hagrid down a steep, narrow path. Teddy, anxious not to fall flat again, took each step with great care. It was awfully dark, and he almost stepped on a couple of loose rocks, but was held back by Ella, who seemed to be watching his footsteps almost as closely as she was watching her own.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she whispered.

"Yeah, don't worry about it Ella, I'm pretty used to falling."

"Clumsy?"

"Don't trust me with breakables."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ella said contemplatively, looking as if she was mentally writing a note to herself. "But it wasn't _your _fault that you fell back at the platform- that boy pushed you! Oh, careful, mind that rock! Be careful Teddy! Oh no, Teddy watch out for Alfie!"

Alfie had stopped in his tracks and was staring ahead, his eyes wide. Teddy almost walked into him, but Ella grabbed his arm.

"Bloody hell," Alfie muttered. Ella and Teddy murmured their assent- in front of them was the majestic Hogwarts castle. It looked surreal, like something out of a fairytale. Teddy had heard stories about its' splendor- even seen pictures of it, but none of them had quite managed to pinpoint how beautiful it truly was.

"Come on now," Hagrid boomed from in front of them. "Yeh'll be seein' the castle fer the nex' seven years- no nee' teh wear i' out."

A short distance away, they came to the edge of a vast, black lake, shimmering with the reflections of stars. Little wooden boats waiting to take them up to the castle were gathered by the shore. Teddy, Ella and Alfie clambered into one of the boats, and were joined by a plump boy with startling blue eyes and chestnut hair.

"'Lo," the boy said, raising his hand to the three friends. "I'm Michael. And you are?"

Teddy, Ella and Alfie quickly introduced themselves as the boats began to drift across the great lake.

"Lovely to meet you," Michael said. Teddy noticed that he had a lilt of a Spanish accent.

Ella, apparently having noticed the same thing, asked: "are you Spanish?"

Michael looked startled, but replied. "No. I've lived in Spain for the past six years though- my mum's the British Magical Ambassador to Spain." He puffed up his chest. "Perhaps you've heard of her? Her Excellency Jennifer Goshawk?"

"Can't say I have, sorry," Teddy said.

Ella, on the other hand, looked contemplative. "I can't say I've heard of your mother- my knowledge of Wizarding politics is a little limited- but would you by any chance be related to Miranda Goshawk?"

"But of course," Michael smiled, a little smugly. "She's my grandmother on my father's side."

"Who's Miranda Gosh-wak?" Alfie asked, bluntly.

"_Goshawk_," Michael corrected. "She wrote the Standard Book of Spells."

"Well that gives you an unfair advantage, doesn't it?" Alfie grumbled. "You probably know way more than half the people here."

Michael gave Alfie a funny look. "What's up with _him_?"

"Nothing," Teddy said. "He's just a little nervous, that's all. You know, about the Sorting."

"I still don't understand this whole Sorting concept," Alfie mumbled. Ella filled in for him, explaining the details of the four houses and the sorting process. Teddy listened respectfully although he already knew most of what Ella was saying. His mind, on the other hand, was wandering. What if the Sorting hat couldn't decide where to place him? He was always a bit of a rebel- never quite conforming to standards. What if he simply didn't fit into _any _of the houses?

He looked up at the Hogwarts Castle. As magnificent as it may have been, it also seemed almost foreboding. He felt a chill run through his veins and realized just how nervous he really was; he was to spend the next seven years of his life here. He could barely even see himself seven years from now.

The prospect daunted him, but he was determined to make these the best years of his life.

* * *

"Righ' then, everybody ou' now!" Hagrid ushered the first years out of the boats and onto a stony shore of rocks and pebbles. Teddy cautiously got out of the boat, slowly regaining his balance. Ella and Alfie followed, while Michael had already clambered out and ran to rejoin a girl he had pointed out as his twin sister Matilda. Teddy couldn't help but notice that she looked awfully irritated that he had left her by herself.

Hagrid led them up a series of stone steps until they reached a heavy, oak door. He lifted his fist and knocked three times. The sound resonated in the empty air; it had an almost haunting quality to it.

The door swung open almost immediately. A stern witch with small, round glasses perched on the edge of her nose appeared and surveyed the wide-eyed first years looking up at her.

"Evening, Professor McGonagall, ma'am- the firs' years."

"Thank you Hagrid," Professor McGonagall spoke clearly, enunciating each syllable. Teddy felt awfully intimidated. "Follow me, children."

They shuffled into the hallway behind her. Ella whispered to Teddy: "did you know Professor McGonagall's an animagus? I think that's awfully impressive- it's very hard to do."

Teddy was about to respond, when Professor McGonagall turned and addressed the cohort. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My name is Professor McGonagall, and I am the headmistress. In a few minutes, you will be led into the Great Hall for the Sorting ceremony- in which you will be sorted into one of the four houses of Hogwarts: Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. During your time at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. You will live with them, and take classes with them. Achievements and positive behaviour will be rewarded with house points and rule-breaking will be punished by taking away house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup." She gave the first-years a few moments to take in the slew of information. "Right. Well, wait here- the Sorting ceremony will commence soon." And with that, she disappeared through a doorway behind them.

Alfie elbowed Teddy. "Teddy! What if…what if we're not in the same house? Will we not see each other?"

"Of course we will!" Teddy said, reassuringly. "There aren't any rules saying that you only have to spend time with members of your own house."

"Lots of people have close friends from other houses," Ella smiled. "Plus, different houses have different classes together- we'll still see each other."

"Good," Alfie said. "Because I really like you guys and I'd like to get to know you even more. I don't want to not get to know you because of some silly rules."

Teddy found himself grinning- he had a feeling that he would be spending a _lot _of time with Alfie and Ella. He was just glad that he'd found friends- friends who he liked and who seemed to like him as well. He had spent many sleepless nights wondering if he'd be relegated to spend years roaming the Hogwarts corridors alone and was glad to see that this was not the case.

_But then again_, a nagging voice reminded him. _They might not like you so much when they find out you're a half-werewolf orphan_.

He shook the voice out of his mind- he didn't need negativity, not then when he was already so nervous at the prospect of being assigned a house. He knew he shouldn't worry- he had no control, after all, over the Sorting hat's decision, but he couldn't help it.

"You okay?" Ella asked, softly. "You're breathing very deeply, which indicates that you are likely nervous. Alfie is too."

"Yeah, Ella, I'm good. I think."

Ella smiled. "Don't worry." She dropped her voice to whisper. "If it helps, I'm terrified too."

"Why? You know you'll probably get into Ravenclaw- isn't that what you want?"

Ella blushed scarlet. "I don't _know _I'll get into Ravenclaw…I might not be smart enough, or logical enough…you never know!" she exclaimed at Teddy, who was suppressing a laugh at the idea of _Ella _not being _logical _enough. He had never met anyone who seemed to conjure up logical reasons for everything as often as she did. "It's all I've ever wanted, you know, to be in Ravenclaw with other people who value knowledge and creativity and…and…you know, learning, as much as I do. I'm just scared that it won't happen. And it's not like there's anything I can do about it."

"Don't worry Ella," Teddy gave her a reassuring smile. "Whatever happens happens for the best." He was almost surprised at the cliché phrase coming out of his mouth- since when did Teddy Lupin, the boy who never conformed to expectations (or so he liked to imagine himself) speak in mere clichés? But he didn't really care- just as long as it made his friend feel better.

Professor McGonagall reappeared and led them through the door that she had exited from earlier. Teddy found himself in a large hall, with a very high ceiling bewitched to look like the night sky. They were walking through two long tables, filled with students who craned their necks to get a look at the new first-years. Some of the students from the further two tables actually stood up to catch a glimpse of the new witches and wizards.

In front of Teddy was a long table where several witches and wizards, who he assumed to be the professors, sat. His eyes flicked along its' length; he noticed a plump man with white hair, a very short wizard who looked a little bit like a goblin with a moustache, Hagrid, a tall blonde wizard, a witch with long ash gray hair and a wizard he recognized from multiple Christmas dinners at Harry's as Professor Neville Longbottom. He couldn't quite tell from this distance, but it looked as if Professor Longbottom was smiling at him.

Professor McGonagall brought them to a stop near the front of the hall and walked towards a small table bearing an old, dilapidated worn hat that looked as if it had seen better days. Several of the other first years were looking at the hat with confused expressions, while others looked bemused. Teddy could almost hear their thoughts, and echoed them himself. _This _was the famous Sorting Hat?

As if on cue, the hat broke out into song.

_Oh perhaps I might be old and worn,  
__Perhaps my youth is spent,  
__But put me on and you will find,  
__Little reason to repent_

_For years and years I have been here  
__And will continue to stay  
__To sort young wizards and witches  
__And help them find their way_

_Every hidden desire,  
__Every wish and thought too,  
__There's nothing in your head that I can't see  
__So where you belong, I'll tell you._

_Why you might belong in Gryffindor,  
__Where bravery is core,  
__Their daring and strength of will,  
__Make sure life is never a bore._

_Or perhaps you are a Ravenclaw,  
__Whose intelligence is prized,  
__Where those of wit and learning,  
__Will always be surprised._

_But you might indeed be a Hufflepuff,  
__Loyalty sets them apart  
__Why you'll never find a more determined soul,  
__And never one with a bigger heart_

_Yet of course, you could be a Slytherin,  
__Whose ambition is strong,  
__These cunning folk will strive to ensure,  
__That they are never wrong._

_So wait no more, the time is right,  
__There is no reason to fear  
__My judgement is never wrong,  
__So put me on, my dear!_

The first-years looked at each other, expressions of amazement and shock on their faces, before breaking out into thunderous applause with the rest of the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall waited patiently before it died now.

"Well then," she said, clearing her throat. "Let the Sorting begin! When I call your name, please sit on the stool. I will place the hat on your head, and you will be Sorted. Once you have been Sorted, please join your house table." She pointed out each of the individual house tables.

"Anderson, Ella," she called out.

Ella shuffled forward, looking rather meek. She perched herself on the stool and Teddy couldn't help notice that she had perfect posture- quite unlike himself, who Andromeda was continuously reminding to stop slouching.

The Sorting hat lingered on Ella's head for a few moments before bellowing, "_RAVENCLAW." _Ella's beamed at Teddy and Alfie before running off to join the Ravenclaw table, which had erupted in applause and cheers.

"No surprise there," Alfie whispered. Teddy smiled- he was thrilled that Ella had gotten what she wanted. He could only hope that he too would end up in a house that would make him happy- although he wasn't quite sure which one that would be.

"Billings, Clarissa."

"_GRYFFINDOR!" _

And so the Sorting went on. Alfie and Teddy waited in silence. Teddy occasionally glanced over at Ella, who was whispering something to a Ravenclaw prefect.

"Goshawk, Matilda."

"_HUFFLEPUFF!" _

"Goshawk, Michael." Michael approached the stool, looking much more nervous than he had been on the boat. It was almost as if he was terrified of following his sister into Hufflepuff; while describing the house on the boat, Michael had seemed to view it with contempt. Teddy had to restrain himself from spitting out a slew of retorts.

The Sorting hat paused for a few moments before shouting out, _"SLYTHERIN!" _Michael's nervousness immediately vanished and he walked proudly to the Slytherin table. Teddy noticed how he didn't look back at his sister, who seemed awfully disappointed that they had been separated.

"Gates, Terence." The boy with ash-blonde hair who had pushed Teddy on the platform strode up to the stool, a smug smile on his face.

"Bet he's in Slytherin," Alfie whispered. "Didn't Ella mention that a few years ago, pretty much all the wizards and witches who went bad were in Slytherin?"

Teddy didn't have time to say anything before the Sorting hat bellowed: _"GRYFFINDOR!" _

Alfie's mouth dropped open. "No way! How can _he _be in Gryffindor?"

"Perhaps he wasn't cunning enough to be in Slytherin," Teddy said, before he could stop himself. He immediately regretted it, and silently reprimanded himself. He didn't even know the boy; the incident at the train station might have just been an accident. He wasn't about to become the kind of person who passed judgment on someone they barely knew.

"I suppose it takes a bit of nerve to push someone down on purpose," Alfie muttered. Teddy stayed silent.

"Hayes, Alfie."

"Oh wish me luck," Alfie muttered, walking nervously over to the stool.

Teddy watched in anticipation as the hat considered Alfie. It was only after a couple of minutes that it finally shouted out: _"HUFFLEPUFF!" _

Alfie looked startled, but he winked at Teddy before joining the Hufflepuff table.

'Lodi, Madhuri' and 'Hopkins, Walter," were sorted into Ravenclaw and 'Kites, Lucy" was sorted into Slytherin before Teddy was called up. At the sound of his name, Teddy took a deep breath and moved through the group of remaining first-years to the stool.

"_Look at his hair!" _

"_I can't believe his mother would have let him do something like that!" _

"_Isn't he that kid who fell at the platform? Better not let him on a broom!" _

Teddy ignored the whispers and sat down, shakily on the wooden stool. Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting hat on his head.

"Ah, interesting…very interesting," he heard the hat mumble. "Not a bad wit, lots of nerve, a desire…and ability to break the rules if need be…loyal, very loyal. Hmm, determined too- not bad. And a very, very big heart, that's always good to see. You would do well in…_HUFFLEPUFF!" _

Teddy breathed a sigh of relief as Professor McGonagall pulled the hat off his head. Hufflepuff wasn't bad at all- his mother and grandfather would have been so proud. The Hufflepuff table had erupted in cheers; Alfie was looking especially thrilled. As he walked towards his new house table, he cast a glance at Ella, who- although she was looking a little disappointed, gave him a thumbs up.

Alfie moved over to make place for him at the Hufflepuff table. "Congrats Teddy!" he said. "This is _so _exciting- I'm glad you and me weren't split up…Ella though…" he looked behind him at the Ravenclaw table. Ella was sitting across the gap between the tables. "I wish she was with us too," he turned back to Teddy.

"Ravenclaw friend?" an older Hufflepuff student whispered. Teddy and Alfie nodded. "Don't worry- we take loads of our classes with the Ravenclaws- you'll still see her."

"Thank goodness," Alfie muttered. "I wouldn't want to leave her by herself."

The Sorting ended when "Zhang, Cynthia" was sorted into Gryffindor. Professor McGonagall took her place behind the teacher's table. "Congratulations to our new students. Welcome to Hogwarts. I trust your summers have all been enjoyable and well-spent. Before we begin the feast, I would like to say a few words and give a few reminders. Mr. Argus Filch, our caretaker, would like to remind all of you that entrance into the Forbidden Forest is strictly forbidden. He would also like to remind you that no magic should be used in the corridors."

"Which one's Filch?" Alfie whispered. Teddy shrugged.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house team should report to Madame Hooch."

"_Quidditch?" _Alfie's eyes boggled. "What on Earth is Quidditch?"

"I'll explain later," Teddy muttered, noting the warning glances that Alfie was getting from a couple of older Hufflepuff's with shiny 'P' badges pinned to their robes.

"And finally, Madame Pince, our librarian, would like to remind everyone that charms placed around the library now allow Muggle technology to work and we have computer stations installed. However, please note that priority goes to sixth-and-seventh-year students who require the technology to efficiently complete their NEWT work. Any students will require permission from a professor to use the computers."

McGonagall surveyed the Great Hall. "First-years will receive further instructions and information from their house Prefects later on. Without further ado, let the feast begin!" She clapped her hands and suddenly, the tables were full of every delicacy imaginable. Roast chicken, honey glazed duck, all sorts of breads and pies…Teddy didn't know where to start!

"I'd suggest you taste the food with your eyes first," a familiar female voice said from behind him. Teddy and Alfie whorled around to see Ella smiling at them.

"What are you doing here!?" Alfie said.

"There's no _rule _about staying at your house table throughout the meal," Ella said in a rather matter-of-fact tone. "I just asked a Ravenclaw prefect. Congratulations on Hufflepuff! It seems perfect for you two."

"Just as Ravenclaw is perfect for you," Teddy said. "And I hear that Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws have loads of their classes together."

"That's fantastic," Ella exclaimed.

The older Hufflepuff student who had spoken to Teddy earlier turned around. "And you first years will be sitting together at the first-year table for the first term or so. It's a way of promoting friendship between the houses. The prefects will explain later."

"I don't see another table," Ella glanced around the hall.

"Yeah, it'll be put in overnight. You'll see it tomorrow at breakfast."

"Interesting," Ella said, contemplatively. "I suppose it _does _make sense to promote friendship…logically, of course, they wouldn't want too much rivalry or too many divides between the houses...speaking of houses, I ought to get back to my own table. See you tomorrow!"

"See you!" Teddy waved at Ella. He turned to the older student. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name?"

"I'm Lucas," the boy grinned, showing off a set of rather perfect white teeth. "I'm in third-year. You're Edward, right?"

"I go by Teddy."

"Teddy then. Nice hair you've got there."

"Thanks."

"How'd you convince your parents to let you dye it?"

"Long story. I didn't." Teddy explained his Metamorphmagus ability yet again. The other first-years and some of the older students- including a few prefects, leaned in to listen.

"That's amazing!" Matilda Goshawk exclaimed when he was done. "I'd love to be able to change my appearance at will."

"Yeah, I suppose it's kind of cool."

"Cool?" Daisy Shipkins, another new Hufflepuff looked up at Teddy with admiration. "I think it's absolutely fabulous."

Teddy, desperate to divert the attention on him instead asked, "so the house Quidditch trials are soon? How good are we at Quidditch? Oh and my friend Alfie here doesn't know much about it- does someone want to explain?"

He settled back as everyone jumped to explain the rules of Quidditch, as well as to give a detailed account of the house players and matches that Hufflepuff had participated in for the past five years.

* * *

The feast passed in a blur of food, conversation and new friendships. The Prefects then led them through a slew of winding staircases and corridors decked with portraits to get to their common room: Hufflepuff basement.

"It's fairly simple to remember how to get in," a fifth-year Prefect named Bella Watson explained. "Just tap the barrels to the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff.' Repeat after me- 'Helga Hufflepuff'."

The common room was full of plants and stuffed black and yellow sofas and chairs. Copper lamps and lights hung from the ceiling and were placed all around the room. A fire was burning in the hearth, casting a warm glow over the room. Teddy thought it was beautiful. Even Alfie was gaping slightly.

The Prefects sat them down and gave them some simple, yet vital information. Their Head of House was Professor Ernie MacMillan, who taught Defense Against the Dark Arts. They were to go to him with any queries or problems that they may have; his door would always be open. Professor MacMillan dropped by just before they went to bed to say hello and introduce himself to the new Hufflepuffs. Teddy recognized him as the tall, blonde professor he had seen at dinner. He also noted that Professor MacMillan looked rather young, and decided to ask Harry whether he knew him.

Their House Ghost (Alfie couldn't quite believe that there was such thing as a House _Ghost_) was the Fat Friar- who floated through the door at the very moment he was mentioned to introduce himself to the new first-years. Timetables were handed out, the first-year dining rule was explained and they were shown to their dormitories.

Teddy was sharing a dormitory with four other boys: Alfie, a Scottish half-blood named Archie Quintin, a quiet boy named Jonathan Trigg and an incredibly excited Muggle-born named Matthew Rivers. They all seemed very nice, and Teddy looked forward to getting to know them better, but as for the moment, he was far too tired to exchange more than his name and a few basic details about himself. Thankfully, they had all heard his explanation of his Metamorphmagus ability at dinner, so he didn't have to repeat himself yet again.

He found his trunk already in his dormitory. He partially unpacked his things- taking out a fresh uniform and fresh robes for the next day and his rucksack stuffed with the equipment he would need for his classes. From there, he extracted a few sheets of parchment, his quill and a bottle of ink. He accidentally pulled out an envelope with spiky pink handwriting on the back but quickly stuffed it back into the pack without anyone noticing.

He scribbled quick letters to Andromeda and Harry, telling them about the train ride and his Sorting. He then wrote out a longer letter to Victoire. He tried to be careful, but as usual, he ended up smudging the ink.

_Dear Victoire,_

_I'm writing from my common room at Hogwarts- you'll never guess…I'm a Hufflepuff! I'm pretty excited- it seems like a great house, and there are some pretty awesome people in it. Plus, mum and granddad would've been proud- they were Hufflepuffs too, you know._

_I miss you loads already. Alfie's in Hufflepuff too, and I met this girl named Ella on the train. She's in Ravenclaw- I think you'd like her though. I told her about you, and she thinks you're cool because you listen to the Weird Sisters. She does too, although you really wouldn't know by looking at her. She's one of those quiet, logical types. _

_Give Dominique and little Louis hugs from me and say hi to your mum and dad, and write back as quickly as you can (don't send a Howler though!) I'll keep you fully updated on everything that goes on here._

_Love,_

_Teddy_

He enclosed the letters in separate envelopes and placed them on his bedside table. He decided he would visit the Owlery before breakfast tomorrow morning to post it- they'd passed the entrance to the tower on their way to the Common Room, so he knew where to find it.

"Hey, Teddy," Alfie whispered.

"Yeah, Alfie?"

"Goodnight."

Teddy smiled. "Night, Alf."

And he settled down and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

**A/N: **Oops! Much longer than intended again- sorry about that guys! Anyway- I do hope you enjoyed the chapter and as usual, reviews are much loved. I'd love to know what you think about the first-year dining rule as well as the Muggle technology rule (I just thought that Wizards might consider computers and word-processing programs useful to back up work and complete essays more efficiently- it would be especially useful for NEWT students, who need to complete such a large amount of work in such a short amount of time).

Thank you for reading, and I do hope you enjoyed it! Your favourites, follows and reviews are much appreciated :)


	4. Chapter 4: Alphabet (Break)

**Chapter Four: Alphabet (Break) **

All plans of visiting the Owlery before breakfast were abandoned the next morning, when Archie Quintin shook Teddy awake and informed him that it was seven-twenty in the morning. They were all supposed to be down in the Great Hall for breakfast by seven-thirty.

_Oh, great._

Teddy blearily grabbed his uniform and robes and quickly scrambled into them. His hair had turned a deep vermillion overnight- he hadn't quite mastered the art of controlling his morphs while unconscious- so he quickly morphed it back into his standard turquoise, ignoring the furtive stares that his roommates were giving him. He knew they were fascinated by his morphs; he was sure they had never seen anything like it before. Of course they wanted to find out about the mechanics. But he just wasn't in the mood.

He snatched the letters he had written last night on his way out of the dormitory, thinking that he could perhaps head up to the Owlery between classes, if he found the time. He just hoped that a school owl was still available- after all, Hogwarts did only have a limited number of owls and many of the first years would want to contact their parents to give them a rundown of their first night and which house they were in.

Teddy almost slammed into Bella Watson, the tall, blonde fifth-year prefect who had shown them to the common room the previous night, on his way into the hall with his roommates. She reprimanded them for being late, emphasising that should their tardiness extend to any of their classes, they would likely land themselves in detention, and lose House Points.

"Hufflepuff _needs _to win the House Cup this year," she said with grim determination. "You first-years ought to be up to the job, you know- we can't have any little infractions getting in the way of our ultimate victory."

All the same, she showed the boys to the Great Hall, giving them tips for their first day of classes.

"Now don't stare at Professor Binns too much- he doesn't like being reminded he's a ghost. And don't be worried if he doesn't remember your name…he still calls me Miss Waycombe, and he's known me for the past five years."

She left them at the entrance to the Great Hall, wishing them luck for their first day.

"Thank you, er…Miss Watson," Alfie said, tentatively.

"Yeah thanks!" Teddy said, smiling up at her.

She flashed them a smile. "It's no problem. And call me Bella."

The first year table was easy to recognize- it was the only table that hadn't been present the previous night, and was the only table where students bearing an amalgamation of different-coloured ties congregated. Within the next week, they would all have different crests on their robes too- the House Elves were currently stitching them on while the students attended their classes.

Ella waved at Teddy and Alfie. She had saved them seats opposite her, and they slid in, mumbling 'good mornings'.

"Overslept?" Ella asked, as she passed them the orange juice.

"How'd you know?" Teddy replied, expecting a response based upon deductive reasoning. He wasn't surprised.

"Well, Alfie's hair is in a complete mess." Alfie's hand went self-consciously to the back of his head. "Just smooth it down a little, it'll be fine. And Teddy, your collar is a little wonky and your tie's all wrong. It clearly shows that you attempted to get ready in a hurry."

Teddy groaned audibly. "Great." He started fiddling with his collar, but correcting it without the help of a mirror proved difficult. Eventually, Alfie had to fix it for him, with Ella's direction.

"So," Ella consulted her timetable. "I've got Astronomy, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration and Charms today, in that order. You guys?"

"Er," Teddy took out his already crumpled timetable from his back. "We've got Herbology, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic and Charms."

"Oh brilliant- we're in the same Potions, Defense, and Charms classes then," Ella beamed.

"Wonderful," Alfie mumbled, his mouth stuffed with French toast. Ella raised an eyebrow at the bad table manners.

"So, how many people are you sharing your dorm with?"

"There are five of us," Teddy said, counting his roommates off on his fingers. He described the few details that he knew about each one to Ella, who listened carefully.

"They sound great!" she said, enthusiastically. "I've got three other girls in my dorm." She gestured to the girl who was sitting next to her, engaged in conversation with another Ravenclaw boy. "This is Madhuri- she's one of my roommates."

The girl looked up at the mention of her name. She was quite pretty; she had a round face, dark wavy hair and an Indian complexion. "Someone say my name?"

"Oh, I was just introducing you to my friends. Madhuri, this is Teddy and Alfie."

"Call me Mads. Lovely to meet you- Hufflepuffs eh? I expect I'll be seeing loads of you in classes!" the girl beamed at them before returning to her conversation with the Ravenclaw boy. Ella turned back to Teddy and Alfie.

"Doesn't let you get a word in edgewise, does she?" Alfie muttered.

"I heard that," Madhuri called. Teddy would have thought that she would be angry, but he could see a smile on the Ravenclaw's face, and her voice had a light tone to it.

"Really, Alfie, you should be more careful with what you say!" Ella reprimanded, before changing the subject. "Who was that girl who you came in with?"

"The blonde one?" Teddy said.

"You only came in with one girl, Teddy."

Teddy's hair turned a pale pink. "Right, sorry." He shook it back to normal. If there was one thing he hated about being a Metamorphmagus, it was that his hair color would just change randomly, without warning, depending on his emotions. He had spent the entirety of the last summer trying to learn how to control it, with the help of Victoire. She had induced various emotions by throwing things at him, or making statements that caused him to flush. It didn't work though- he couldn't figure out how to stop his hair changing on whim. It was one of those things that made him wished his mum was around to show him how to do.

"Her name's Bella," Alfie contributed. "Bella Watson. She's a Hufflepuff prefect."

"Ooh, Bella Watson?" Daisy Shipkins interrupted their conversation, leaning over the girl between herself and Ella casually. The girl- a Gryffindor- gave Daisy an odd look. "My sister's in the same year as her. Apparently, she's snogged all the boys…and some of the girls."

Teddy raised an eyebrow. "She seemed nice."

"Yes, well, of _course _she did," Daisy said. "After all, she's one of _those _girls, isn't she? I suppose she's trying to widen her track record."

Teddy couldn't believe that this was coming from Daisy Shipkins- his first impression of Daisy at the feast yesterday was that she was a little lightheaded, but generally sweet and innocent. Apparently, he was wrong.

Ella was looking scandalized. "Excuse _me,_" she said. "Don't you think that's a little presumptuous of you? You don't even know the girl. It's hardly logical to make such assumptions about someone you don't know."

"Yeah, but my sister said she was a tar-"

"That's still no excuse!" Ella exclaimed. Teddy gaped at her. He was seeing a completely different side of Ella right now. "Maybe your sister was wrong. Or maybe, those boys snogged her."

"Yeah, but have you seen how high up her skirt is?"

"Maybe she outgrew it and couldn't afford a new one! You never know. And even if she likes wearing it up there, it's none of your business. She is a Hufflepuff prefect. The teachers wouldn't have made her one if she wasn't responsible."

Daisy opened her mouth as if to respond, but decided against it when Matilda Goshawk placed a hand on her arm and muttered something in her ear. Daisy shrank back into her seat and Matilda gave them an apologetic smile. Ella turned back to Teddy and Alfie. "I'm sorry," she said, looking at Alfie's shocked expression. "But I don't like it when people make presumptions about people when they don't really know them. It's rude and hurtful…and it's not logical!"

"I know. I get you." Teddy said, quickly. He certainly did know- many a time had he heard people make passing comments about werewolves in the street, about how dangerous they were and how they weren't to be trusted. His grandmother had told him about the troubles that his father had had bearing the stigma of being a half-breed. His fear of people and their presumptions was the reason why he chose not to tell anyone about his parents. Although, he had to admit, he was a little more assured after seeing Ella's outburst- perhaps she wouldn't take it badly. He wasn't about to tell her though, not yet. He wasn't ready.

"Wow…" Alfie's mouth was still half-open. "Ella…you're _fierce_."

"I don't know if fierce is the correct word," Ella said, solemnly. "But thank you, Alfie."

A few moments later, the collective gaze of the Great Hall shifted up towards the ceiling as owls of all shapes and sizes flooded in. The first-years, wizard-born and Muggle-born alike, let out gasps of delight. Teddy looked up in awe- never before had he seen so many owls, all flying in at the same time.

A small, tawny owl, bearing no post, sped towards the first-year table like a bullet and landed right in front of Ella. She laughed. "Hello Athena, you silly little owl. You've come without any post!" Athena didn't seem to care; she hopped around happily, excited to be in Ella's presence.

"Is she yours?" Teddy asked, curiously.

"Yeah," Ella said, petting the owl's head. "My parents bought her for me when I got my letter."

"Aren't owls expensive?" Alfie asked, peering at Athena curiously.

Ella blushed. "Yeah, well…I mean, I think so. But my parent's just thought it was important…you know…constant connection…if there's an emergency…that kind of thing." She dug in her bag and found a letter. "Here, Athena, take this to mum and dad." The owl refused to take the letter. "Fine, you can wait around a little more."

"She's beautiful. And she seems to really like you!" Teddy said, smiling. He had wanted an owl of his own and had begged Andromeda to buy him one for his eleventh birthday. She had brushed him off quickly, telling him in an embarrassed tone that they couldn't quite afford one- not just yet anyway. He understood, he supposed. Andromeda had been cut out of her inheritance and his parents hadn't left behind a fortune either. They mostly depended on whatever savings Andromeda did have, as well as the income that she got from the part-time job that she had begun working as Teddy had grown older. Hogwarts supplies were expensive, and Teddy understood that they needed to save as much money as they could. His godfather often paid for things, but Andromeda said that it wasn't fair to borrow money from Harry unless they had to.

"She's very affectionate," Ella laughed as Athena pecked her hand.

"She's gorgeous," Madhuri glanced over at Athena, who appeared to become even more excited at the compliment.

"I wish I had my own owl," Alfie grumbled.

A medium-sized familiar snowy owl flew towards Teddy and perched on his shoulder, a large envelope clutched in her beak. Teddy gently plucked the envelope from the owls' beak. "Thanks Amaryllis," he said, ruffling the bird's head.

"What, you've got one too?" Alfie said, incredulously.

"Nah- you think I'd name her Amaryllis if she were mine?"

"It's a pretty, floral name," Ella commented.

"Not really my kind of name though," Teddy replied. "She's my grans."

He opened the envelope. Inside was another, smaller envelope, as well as piece of parchment. He quickly scanned through the letter, written in Andromeda's familiar, neat script.

_Dear Teddy,_

_I do hope you had a safe journey to Hogwarts and I expect to hear from you soon with all the news. I am back home now, so make sure you send your letters here and not to Shell Cottage. _

_Inside this package, you will find another envelope addressed to you. It contains one of the letters that your mother and father wrote to you before they died. This one bears the instructions- 'open after first day at Hogwarts'. _

_Have a lovely day (and please change your hair back to a nice, normal color for your first classes- you want to ensure that you make a good impression on your teachers)._

_Lots of love,_

_Gran._

Teddy grinned excitedly. He always looked forward to the letters from his mum and dad- they were the only fragments of them that he really had to hold on to. Essentially, they had understood the possibility that they wouldn't survive the war, and upon finding out that they were expecting a child, they had written a series of letters to him, each to be given to him at different points in his life. He got one on each birthday, and Andromeda had hinted that he might get some on special events too. This must be one of those events.

He took the smaller envelope out. Familiar, spiky handwriting in pink ink decorated the back, reading "_To our dearest Teddy, to be opened after your first day at Hogwarts." _He smiled- the envelopes had only started bearing his name from his eight birthday onwards, indicating that the letters inside them must have been written after he was born. He gingerly placed the envelope into his bag, deciding he would read it later, when he was alone.

He grabbed the letters he had written last night from his bag and scribbled a note on the one from Andromeda using a self-inking quill. _Got your letter, thank you- could you please see that these letters get to Victoire and Uncle Harry? Thank you (please don't read them gran). _

He morphed his hair into a deep shade of brown and wrote '_PS: yes, my hair is decent'_, before turning it back to turquoise. He ignored the stares and whispers of some of the first-years from other houses- especially the dirty look he was getting from ash-blonde Terence Gates.

He gave the letters to Amaryllis, who grasped them in her beak, and took off.

Athena was still nuzzling up to Ella affectionately. Alfie was watching jealously, and Ella seemed to notice.

"Your parents live in Oxfordshire, right?" she asked, casually.

"Yeah," Alfie replied, his eyes still fixed on Athena.

"Well, Oxfordshire's on the way to Central London…that's where my family is…if you ever want, I'm sure Athena wouldn't mind dropping off or picking up letters from your parents."

Alfie gaped at her. "You're serious?"

"Sure." She shrugged. "Why not?"

"Well then," Alfie dug around in the pocket of his robes and brought out an envelope made of Muggle paper. "I wrote this last night- d'you think Athena could deliver it for me."

" Of course she can," Ella took the envelope from Alfie, calmed her excited owl and gave the paper to Athena, who took it, along with Ella's own letter.

"Er, doesn't she need some kind of direction?"

"Oh no, owls generally find the recipients, even with little information. She'll find your parents alright."

"They're very smart, owls," Teddy told Alfie, who looked a little nervous at the prospect of trusting Athena with his mail. "Don't worry."

"If you ever need to send anything to your parents, Teddy, you can use Athena as well."

"Thanks Ella," Teddy smiled at her, trying to conceal the pang of loss that hit him when she said _'your parents'_, so casually, as if they were still alive and waiting to receive a letter from him. "But it's okay. My…family lives in the West Country- this place called Godric's Hollow. It's a little far for Athena to go." Andromeda had moved the household to Godric's Hollow when Teddy was barely a year old so that Teddy could be closer to his godfather, who- wanting his children to grow up in a Wizarding community and be close to their mother's family- had himself shifted from Grimmauld Place to the Hollow at a similar time.

"It's not too far," Ella said. "Just…about an hour, I think?"

"Nah, really, Ella, don't worry about it, it's okay."

"If you insist," Ella shrugged. "Although the offer will always be open, feel free to…you know…take me up on it anytime."

"Thanks Ella. I'll keep it in mind."

* * *

After breakfast, a Gryffindor prefect appeared to lead the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors to their first class- Herbology, which they would have in Greenhouse One. Teddy and Alfie bid goodbye to Ella and followed the prefect out into the corridor, towards the greenhouses. Teddy could feel the butterflies in his stomach- but he wasn't too sure whether they should be attributed to nervousness or excitement. He supposed he was feeling a bit of both.

He could feel his hair morph into a light orange- a color that tended to appear whenever he was nervous. He screwed up his nose to change it back into its typical turquoise, but was prevented from doing so by a loud voice.

"A_ha! _There's always a troublemaker, even on the first day o' classes." The first-years stopped and turned to see where the voice was coming from. A hunched, pasty man was storming towards Teddy, wagging his finger. Teddy looked behind him, thinking that the man- who he recognized as the caretaker his godfather had warned him about- must certainly be talking to someone else. But, much to Teddy's surprise, there was no one there.

"What's this about, Mr. Filch?" The Gryffindor prefect asked politely.

"This boy was using magic in the corridors," Filch clapped a bony hand, protruding veins clearly visible, on Teddy's shoulder and sneered at him. "Weren't you, eh, sonny?"

Teddy flinched, his face stricken. Fear coursed through his body- he hadn't done anything wrong! He hadn't used magic in the corridors- he _knew _that it was against Hogwarts rules, and he didn't want to break the rules. At least not on his first day.

"What sort of magic?" The Gryffindor prefect asked, ignoring the murmuring of the first-year students, who were asking one another if anyone had seen Teddy perform magic.

"He changed his hair, he did. Used some sort o' charm- one minute it was turquoise, the next it was light orange, and then it was turquoise again…"

"Oh," Teddy spoke suddenly. "I…I can explain t-t-that." He stuttered slightly as Filch refocused his grotesque sneer.

"Ah!" Filch exclaimed. "So you admit that you were indeed doing something!"

"N-no, I just…"

"It's alright, Mr. Filch, Mr. Lupin meant no harm," a voice interrupted Teddy's explanation. He tore his eyes away from Filch's intimidating glare to see Professor Longbottom striding towards them.

"Longbottom," Filch said. "This boy was using magic in the corridors."

"I don't believe he was," Professor Longbottom said, simply. "You said his hair colour changed, yes?" Filch nodded furiously. "Mr. Lupin is a Metamorphmagus." Teddy heard some of the Gryffindor students gasp with surprise, and saw Terence roll his eyes. "He can change his appearance at will."

"I know what a Metamorphmagus is," Filch snapped. "The last one we had was a lot more trouble than she was worth, she was. Always sneaking out." He narrowed his eyes at Teddy. "I'll be keeping my eye on you, sonny." With a flick of his moth-eaten robe, he limped away. A nearby cat that Teddy hadn't noticed let out a loud meow, before following Filch down the hallway.

"I'll take the first-years from here, thanks Miss Hart," Professor Longbottom nodded to the Gryffindor prefect, who smiled and scurried away to her own class, after wishing the first-years good luck.

"Are you okay, Teddy?" Alfie whispered. "That man didn't hurt you, or anything?"

"I'm good Alfie," Teddy smiled.

"So that's Professor Longbottom then?" he said, gesturing to the front. "Our Herbology professor? How does he know you?"

"He's friends with my godfather," Teddy explained. "He and his wife always come to my godfather's Christmas parties- I met him there."

Alfie nodded. "Nice of him to save you- dunno what would've happened if he hadn't shown up."

Teddy agreed. He tried to move through the huddle of first-year students to get closer to Neville and thank him, but Terence seemed to be blocking his way. For someone who had never spoken to him, Teddy thought, Terence didn't seem to like him very much at all.

Professor Longbottom led them into Greenhouse One. Teddy surveyed the room; the greenhouse had numerous, funny looking plants by the walls. Some of the students reached out to try and touch them, but after Clarissa Billings- a Gryffindor girl- almost got bitten by a particularly snappy-looking plant that Teddy recognized from Andromeda's garden, they had decided that they were best off waiting for instruction.

A long, grey metal table divided the room. The students lined up on either side. Teddy found himself next to Alfie and Clarissa. Terence was far behind him- Teddy hoped that he would stay there- at least he wouldn't have to see Terence continually rolling his eyes at him.

Professor Longbottom nipped out for a second, before returning, a large cacti-like plant in his grasp. He set the plant down on the table, and surveyed the first-years in front of him. "Welcome to Herbology," he said, smiling. "My name is Professor Neville Longbottom. I'm lucky enough to be the Herbology professor here at Hogwarts. I also happen to be the Head of Gryffindor. But," he held up his finger, quieting the murmur than had sprung up at this proclamation. "I would like all the Hufflepuffs in the room- and the Gryffindors, actually- to know that I will not be biased in any way towards my own house. Under this roof, you are all the same to me."

He gestured to the plant in front of him. "This is a _Mimblus Mimbletonia_. Not much is known about it- it has an excellent defensive mechanism, and will spurt Stinksap when attacked. It will also do this." He stroked the plant, which made a strange, crooning noise. Several people, including Teddy and Alfie giggled. "Plants," Professor Longbottom continued, "can do fantastic things. Not only do they provide us with a bit of comic relief like the _Mimbletonia_, but they also provide the Wizarding World with new remedies and cures for all sorts of magical maladies. Although Herbology may seem an awful lot like gardening, it is actually one of the most important subjects you will learn here at Hogwarts."

Teddy looked around him. Every single first-year in the room was raptured, listening carefully to Professor Longbottom's every word. Harry had told him that no one had expected Professor Longbottom to become a professor, but standing here, in this room, Teddy couldn't think of anything better for Professor Longbottom to do. He had a natural talent.

Professor Longbottom spent a good part of the lesson having the first-years introduce themselves. He then went over the types of plants they would be studying, and what they could expect on the exam. He ended the lesson, however, by introducing them to one of the plants that they would study over the course of the term- the Puffapod.

"Now, would someone like to hold it? Ah, yes, Mr. Lupin- come forward." Teddy moved forward tentatively and took the plant from Professor Longbottom's hands. However, he found that the surface of the plant-which looked thick, dry and rubbery, was actually anything but- it was wet and slippery. It slid right through his hands, and burst on the floor. Seeds scattered across the floor and instantly bloomed into bright purple flowers. Teddy flushed, and his hair changed to mirror the flowers. The first-years howled with laughter. Alfie looked on with dismay.

"Ah, yes, should have warned you about that- it is a little hard to grip," Professor Longbottom smiled. "No worries, no worries- you'll just have to stay after class to help me clean up, Mr. Lupin."

Teddy muttered an apology, his cheeks still bright red. _That's the last time I volunteer to hold anything in any class. I should have known what would happen._

"Well, as it turns out, Mr. Lupin has shown us the key, most interesting property of the Puffapod. It contains seeds that, when in contact with solid objects, will bloom instantly. Now, can anyone tell me how the Puffapod may be used in potions? Miss Billings?"

* * *

When the class was over, Teddy stayed back to help Professor Longbottom remove the Puffapod flowers from the floor. It involved a lot of strength- some of the plants had begun to take root, so Teddy had to tug to pull them out properly.

"I'm so sorry, really."

"It's fine, Mr. Lupin, don't worry about it."

"Professor Longbottom?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't call me Mr. Lupin," Teddy looked up at him earnestly. "The other professors…it's fine for them, but I _know _you. It sounds weird."

"Alright…mind, I'll still call you Mr. Lupin in classes. But Teddy's fine otherwise." Professor Longbottom smiled kindly at Teddy.

"Thank you."

They continued to remove the Puffapods from the floor in silence. A few minutes had passed, when Professor Longbottom suddenly said: "your father inspired me."

"What?" Teddy stopped what he was doing, and looked at Professor Longbottom incredulously.

"He was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher I ever had," Professor Longbottom was blushing slightly. "When I quit being an auror- I thought about him, you know, and I thought…I'd like to have the same effect on kids that he had on me."

Teddy smiled. "I'm sure he'd be happy." In all honesty- he didn't truly know, he just assumed his father would be happy. After all, he'd never really known his father- anecdotes and letters didn't consist truly knowing. Which reminded him, he still had the letter from his parents to read.

"I'm sure he would be," Professor Longbottom said quietly. "Teddy…would I be correct in assuming that you haven't told your classmates about your parents?"

Teddy looked at the floor. "Yeah," he mumbled. "You would."

Professor Longbottom nodded contemplatively. "I can understand that."

"You can?"

"Better than you know. Listen, if you ever need to…you know, talk. I'm here for you. I know it's going to be hard. I understand."

"Do you?" Teddy didn't mean to sound harsh- it just slipped out. "Sorry," he said quickly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

Professor Longbottom was unperturbed. "I do understand Teddy- and it's alright, there's no need to apologize. You see, I too, was brought up by my grandmother." Noticing Teddy's gape, he said, "I was wondering whether Harry'd told you- I see apparently not. I lost my parents to the First Wizarding War…not in the same way as yours…but they were gone." He bit his lip and Teddy could feel the air around them thicken. "But that's a story for another day." He forced a smile. "I'm making you late."

On his way out of the greenhouse, Teddy stopped and turned. "Professor Longbottom?"

"Yes, Teddy?"

"Thank you."

* * *

The day passed by in a complete blur. Teddy sat with Ella and Alfie during Potions, which was taught by the Head of Slytherin, an amiable old man named Professor Slughorn, who had taught at Hogwarts back in the 1940's. Teddy had expected to be horrible at Potions, thanks to his clumsiness- he was sure that he would always be dropping things he shouldn't be into his cauldron. However, at the end of the lesson, he had managed to produce a relatively decent cure for boils- even if he had set his cauldron on fire by adding one too many dragon scales.

Defense Against the Dark Arts had been one of Teddy's favorite classes- Professor MacMillan had given them a demonstration of all the spells that they would be learning that year and then had paired them up to practice simple wand movements and then, in the last ten minutes, attempt the Knockback Jinx- which none of them had managed to perform correctly. Teddy left the class feeling energized and had a strong desire to practice the Jinx again.

History of Magic, had, predictably been boring – apart from Professor Binns's startling entrance through the front wall. Teddy tried to follow Bella's advice and not stare at him, but Alfie had gawked. Teddy had to keep kicking Alfie to remind him to pay attention to what Binns was saying, rather than Binns himself.

Charms had been interesting- Professor Flitwick's eccentricities proved to be a source of amusement for Alfie and Teddy, who had taken a while to get used to the high pitch of his voice. Ella, on the other hand, had asked multiple questions and taken copious notes- which Teddy marked down to borrow from her one of these days to copy.

When he finally got back up to his dormitory, Teddy had collapsed on his bed, his legs aching and his brain feeling rather full. The other boys had opted to stay downstairs in the common room for a little while to socialize, but Teddy had wanted to come up straight away, to get some privacy.

Alone in the earthy room, he removed the letter from his parents from his bag and held it carefully in his hands, stroking the pink letters on the back of the envelope.

_One letter for every birthday_. The first few had just been pictures- drawings of a woman with bright pink hair and a tall man with a kind smile- and little captions that Andromeda had read out to them. Slowly, the letters had begun to grow longer and longer- more words, less pictures. Teddy had brought them all with him to Hogwarts- the fragile pieces of parchments that contained his only personal connection to the parents he had never known.

He tore open the seal of the envelope, and took out the letter inside.

_Our dearest Teddy,_

_Congratulations on making it through your first day at Hogwarts! That itself is an achievement. We remember our first days at Hogwarts very clearly. Mum spilt something in potions and ran out crying, believing that she would be a failure. As it turns out, she wasn't one at all- so if anything went wrong for you, don't worry! There are seven bright years ahead of you, for you to learn and grow- both as a wizard and as a person. We wish we were there to see you. _

There was a pink note in brackets from his mother.

_I'd just like to add that I sincerely hope you're in Hufflepuff. Best house, you know. Don't listen to your dad- he thinks Gryffindor's the best- but it's really not. _

Teddy laughed, and continued reading the letter, the remainder written in black ink.

_What your mother means to say is although we might each have biased opinions towards our own houses, we will be proud of you, no matter what house you are in. It's the person you are that matters the most. _

_The next seven years are going to be both fun and stressful. Remember to balance out the work and the play- too much of one will be bad for you. Make, and treasure your friends- they will stay with you for the rest of your life, and you will find that they can brighten up even the darkest of times. _

_Be kind, thoughtful and caring. Don't do anything we wouldn't do... Or rather, don't do anything dad wouldn't do...mums a little more of a free-spirit...but then again, your father did get up to all sorts of antics. More on those in a later letter- they might not be fit for your delicate ears at this point. _

_If you fail an exam, or have a fight with your friends...don't let it get you down. Life has it's ups and downs and your time at Hogwarts will be no exception to that. All you can do is be you- don't pretend to be anyone or anything you're not. Be proud of who you are Teddy. We certainly are. _

_How we wish we could be with you, to hear about your days at Hogwarts, to laugh and cry with you. But know that wherever we are, we are looking down on you, smiling with love and joy at the wonderful young man you are becoming. _

_We love you Teddy, no matter what. Remember that. _

_Lots of love,_

_Mum & Dad_

Tear pricked at the corners of Teddy's eyes. He gave the letter one last lingering look before sliding it gingerly back into the envelope. "I love you too," he whispered.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for all of your follows, favourites and reviews! They mean so much to me and they motivate me to keep writing this. Kate, yes, the story will be following Teddy through his seven years and each year will be given equal weight.

So, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! If you had a favourite part, please let me know what it was in the reviews! (also if I've gotten the geography of England horribly wrong- please let me know!)


	5. Chapter 5: Tribulation (Chrysalis)

**Chapter Five: Tribulation (Chrysalis) **

Since Teddy had read the letter, his parents seemed to lurk in every little crevice of his mind. Wherever he went, he always had the strange impression that they were there with him, standing right beside him, watching him. It didn't help that they could be found all over Hogwarts- in the sepia photos of classes from years ago, in the sympathetic smiles that the older professors gave him and in the scribbled notes in the margins of his mother's old textbooks. Never before had he experienced this kind of connection. He loved it.

He thought of them again as he sat in Charms class, running his fingers absent-mindedly over the spiky black notes that his mother had scrawled in the corners of _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade One_, while he surreptitiously read the letter from Victoire that he had received that morning at breakfast.

_Dear Teddy, _it read.

_Sorry about the delay in writing. Mum and I had a fight about the whole Beauxbatons vs. Hogwarts thing. She said no Delacour girl is going to Hogwarts, and I said that it's a good thing, then, that I'm a Weasley, and she grounded me. We're still not on speaking terms- I had to con your gran into letting me send this via Amaryllis. I'm surprised she let me- after all, I learned all my con-tricks from you, and you would think she would be used to them. Anyway, she's been coming over for tea a lot- your gran that is, not Amaryllis. I think she misses you._

_I miss you too, of course. It's weird to think that I'm only going to get to see you at Christmas and Easter and in the summer. There's a big family-and-friends gathering at the Burrow next week- it's going to be horrible without you, I'm sure. _

_Nikki's terribly upset that you didn't write specially to her. She sulked for days-you know how she is. I suppose if you you want to maintain your hero status with her, I'd suggest you put quill to parchment and write something, anything and send it over very quickly. _

_Tell your friends I say hi! Ella sounds very nice- I'd love to meet her sometime. Maybe if mum's got her nose back in joint by December, she'll let me go down to London to pick you up from the Hogwarts Express, and then I can meet Ella, and Alfie! _

_Love,_

_Victoire. _

He slipped the letter into the pages of his textbook, making a mental note to write back that night, and to write a short letter to Dominique as well.

"Now then, does everyone have their feathers?" Professor Flitwick's high-pitched voice snapped Teddy out of his thoughts, and he reverted back to paying attention to the class. Flitwick had spent the last half an hour or so droning on about the importance and usefulness of levitation charms. Teddy had zoned out after ten minutes, wanting to actually get on with practicing the spell rather than just hearing about how it had saved some ancient wizard from getting crushed by a falling rock during a landslide.

"Alright then," Flitwick continued. "Now, don't forget to use that nice swish-and-flick movement we have been practicing and enunciate clearly. _Wingardium leviosa_." The class mumbled the incantation after him. "You may begin."

Teddy waved his wand and repeated the incantation clearly. His white feather stayed firmly on the desk. He looked at Ella and Alfie, who were sitting on either side of him, and saw that they weren't having much luck either. He repeated the spell a few times, but the feather refused to budge. It stared up at him from where it was lying on the oak; it almost seemed to be mocking him.

"Hold it, hold it," Ella said, waving her hand about."We _must _be going at this all wrong. Now let's see…" she glanced at the textbook briefly, eyebrows clenched in an expression of deep concentration, before looking up. "Teddy, pass me your book."

"Why?" Teddy asked, taking care to sound curious rather than brash, to avoid giving his friends the wrong impression. "You've got your own."

"Yes, but yours already has notes in it," Ella said, slightly impatiently, as if her logic was obvious. It probably was, Teddy thought, but only to Ella. "There might be something in there that could help us."

Teddy passed her his battered copy of _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade One_. His mother may have kept good notes, but her care of textbooks left something to be desired. The edges of the pages were scuffed and the spine was full of creases.

Ella studied the notes in the margin carefully, her eyes deciphering the messy handwriting. "Alright… who'd you say owned this book before you Teddy?"

"Er…my aunt."

"Right. Well your aunt has re-written the incantation and underlined the 'o' in leviosa. Maybe that means we're supposed to stress it?" She bit the inside of her cheek and gazed up at Alfie and Teddy contemplatively, expected them to offer some sort of affirmation. Alfie just stared at her blankly and Teddy shrugged his shoulders. Ella sighed and looked back down at the book. "Well, I can't see any other logical explanation. I suppose we won't know unless we try."

She picked up her wand, pushed up her glasses and stared at the feather. Teddy watched closely as she inhaled deeply, swished-and-flicked her wand and said crisply: "wingardium levi_o_sa."

The feather raised itself gently into the air, as if it was being carried by a gentle gust of wind. Teddy watched in awe as it floated just a few centimeters away from the tip of Ella's outstretched wand.

"Oh, oh look!" Professor Flitwick beamed at the feather. "Miss Anderson's managed…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ella dropped her wand, quickly and deliberately with a flick of her hand.

"Oh dear," Flitwick looked crestfallen. "That's alright Miss Anderson- keep at it. Perhaps next time."

"Ella," Alfie said, looking at her with a mixture of shock and confusion as she reached below to desk to retrieve her willow wand. "Ella…you did that on purpose?"

"Did I?" Ella asked innocently.

"Well, the wand didn't just slip out of your fingers."

"Oh yes…well, I suppose I did." She blushed slightly.

"Why?" Teddy asked. He would have thought she would have wanted people to know that she was able, to know that she was smart, clever and a good witch.

Ella smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I know I can do it," she said simply. "Everyone else doesn't need to know."

Teddy, surprised at the depth of the words, nodded his head slightly. It made sense- although he couldn't help think that if he had been the one to get his feather in the air first, he would have left it up there for as long as he could, just so he could prove to everyone that he was capable.

Daisy Shipkins, who sat behind them, placed her hands on the edge of her desk, and used them to lean over. "Too bad, Anderson," she said, giving Ella a particularly fake, simpering smile. "I suppose even _you _aren't immune to clumsiness."

Ella spun around and gave Daisy a sharp look. Daisy's grin faltered, and she cowered back, flicking her ginger hair out from behind her ear to cover her face. Ella turned back to the front, smiling triumphantly.

"But if you'd left the feather up," Teddy said, reverting back to the topic of conversation before Daisy had intervened. "Daisy wouldn't have said that."

"Yeah, but I don't care what Daisy Shipkins says," Ella said, matter-of-factly. "Whether or not I can perform a spell shouldn't matter to her- she should just be concerned with whether or not _she _can perform it. Not that she can, of course."

"I'm not sure I completely get the whole principle," Alfie said, brow furrowing in confusion.

"You will," Ella assured him. "Just keep thinking about it." She looked at the two boys, who were staring at her. "Well- shouldn't you two be trying to levitate your feathers?" She shrugged a single shoulder questioningly.

To everyone's surprise- including his own- Alfie was the next person who managed to make his feather fly. He gaped at it, and then stole a glimpse back at his empty desk, to confirm that it really was his feather that was floating above the class. Professor Flitwick was thrilled, and awarded five points to Hufflepuff.

"Imagine- I won us five points!" Alfie said, excitedly, when he'd returned his feather to his desk. "Can you even believe? Bella'll be happy- remember she said that she wanted Hufflepuff to win the House Cup this year?"

"I don't think that five points will make a huge- ow!" Ella began to say, before Teddy stepped on her foot. Although Ella's logic was usually very useful, she could sometimes offer up points that completely ruined the situation.

"Well done Alfie," he said graciously, shooting a warm smile to Alfie and a warning look to Ella, who looked confused, as if she didn't know what she had done wrong.

Alfie looked very pleased with himself. "I'm well on my way to becoming an awesome wizard! My parents will be so proud."

Teddy himself had no luck with the feather until the last five minutes of class. He left Charms feeling a little worried- Ella and Alfie hadn't had much trouble with the spell, but he had. Did that mean he was a worse wizard than they were? He wasn't sure, and he didn't want to dwell on it. All it would do was dampen his mood. But all the same, he couldn't quite shake the insecurity from the back of his mind.

* * *

As the second week of classes dawned, if there was one topic on the tip of everybody's tongue, regardless of house, it was the Quidditch trials. They were spaced out over the week, with the results for all the houses being announced on Friday. The first-years were eager to find out which house was renowned for being the best at the sport- apparently, Slytherin had won the cup for the last few years, but their star seeker had just graduated.

"Apparently my brother's going to be trying out for the Slytherin house team," Matilda Goshawk commented to Alfie and Teddy, as Alfie passed her the raspberry jam.

"Really?" Teddy asked, surprised. "I thought first-years _never _got into the team." It was this knowledge that had discouraged him from trying out- he wasn't a bad player, what with the training and tips that he'd gotten from his Aunt Ginny, but he was a little intimidated by the idea of representing his house and playing with older, more experienced players. But then again, Michael Goshawk did not seem the kind of person to succumb to that kind of pressure; he was more the sort to be intimidated by those who had a higher status, or claim to fame than he did.

"Well, it's what I heard," Matilda said. "Can't quite remember who told me about it though…"

"Maybe it was Michael himself," Alfie suggested helpfully.

"Hm? No…no I don't think so. I'd have remembered if it was him."

Teddy was fascinated by the relationship- or lack thereof- between Matilda and Michael. He had always thought that twins were typically close, practically joined at the hip. But Michael barely paid attention to his sister, choosing to sit with Teddy and Alfie in classes like Transfiguration and Astronomy, which the Hufflepuffs shared with the Slytherins, even though Matilda had made large, overt gestures to try and catch Michael's attention and ask him to sit with her. Teddy found himself feeling rather sorry for her, and made efforts to engage with her whenever he saw her. Unfortunately, she was often in the company of Daisy, who felt compelled to shove her way into a conversation- provided Ella wasn't around, of course. Thanks to these intrusions, Teddy now knew far more about the Shipkins family- such as where they regularly bought their groceries (the Wizarding Mart in Diagon Alley)- than he ever could have wanted to.

Teddy and Alfie were chattering away to Michael on Friday, as they headed down from Astronomy to lunch. The Transfiguration classroom, where the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors had just had a lesson, was on the way and Teddy and Alfie thought that they would pick up Ella on their way to the Great Hall.

"I can't believe I _still _can't perform a levitation charm," Michael grumbled. "Professor Flitwick offered me extra help but I turned it down…can you _imagine_? The grandson of Miranda Goshawk, unable to perform a spell that's in her book? The embarrassment! I'll have to tell grandma to rewrite the book with more explanation."

"You could ask Matilda," Alfie said. "She managed alright in class."

"I'm sure she'd be happy to help," Teddy said, watching Michael carefully to gage his reaction.

Michael shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, maybe…dunno. Mat's probably busy. She's got that friend…the ginger one…what's her name?"

"Daisy Shipkins?"

"Yeah..Daisy- dunno, she doesn't seem to like me much. Always carts Mat off in the other direction when I approach."

"That's not very nice of her!" Alfie exclaimed, his lips tightening in indignation. Teddy couldn't help but feel that Michael was projecting a little bit- not in terms of voice, but in terms of feelings. After two weeks of school, he hadn't actually seen Michael make an effort to approach or talk to Matilda- except for that one time when they'd gotten off the boats to the castle. He felt as if Michael was trying to offset the guilt a little bit.

An awkward, heavy silence fell between the three boys. Alfie tentatively broke it. "So is it true you tried out for the Slytherin Quidditch team, Michael?"

"Huh? Oh yeah!" Michael said. "Yeah, I did! I think they were _very _impressed you know- I tried out for Keeper, and I saved pretty much all the goals! Only missed a few!"

He babbled on about the tryouts, boasting of his apparent success all the way to the Transfiguration classroom. Students in both red-and-gold and blue-and-bronze ties were still streaming out, but Teddy couldn't seem to see Ella. He did, however, catch Madhuri's eye.

"Ella's still in there," Madhuri called to him. "She's asking the Professor something."

"Thanks Mads!" Teddy called, but the Indian girl had already turned away, deep in conversation with a mousy-haired Ravenclaw boy that Teddy knew to be Walter Hopkins. Ella had mentioned that he was some kind of Muggleborn genius- Teddy hadn't interacted enough with the boy to tell.

They waited another five minutes until Ella emerged from the classroom. She was a little startled when she saw them, but smiled happily, giving Michael a little jaunty wave.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," she said, as they walked down to the Great Hall. "I would've come out faster if I'd known you guys would be waiting for me."

"That's alright," Teddy said, before Michael, who had been grumbling about how hungry he was, could say anything.

"I was just asking Professor Ellacott about animal transfiguration. You know, because they say Professor McGonagall's an animagus?" The boys all gave her blank stares, although Michael pretended to know exactly what Ella was talking about. Teddy did, however, recall Ella saying something about this at the Sorting, but he hadn't paid it much attention.

"What's an animagus?" Alfie asked, point blank.

"It's someone who can transform into an animal," Ella explained. "Very fascinating, really."

"Like a werewolf?" Alfie followed up.

Teddy felt his blood turn cold, tiny icicles forming in his veins. He didn't want the topic turning to werewolves. He could almost see it in his mind's eye. Michael would mention that years ago, Hogwarts had had a werewolf teacher, Ella would remember reading it somewhere- oh and hadn't that same werewolf fought in the Battle of Hogwarts? _Hey_- wasn't his last name Lupin? Teddy, you're not _related _are you?

Thankfully, the conversation never steered down that path. Ella just nodded and said, "yeah, kind of, but not really. Becoming a werewolf isn't voluntary- neither are your transformations. Plus, it's painful. You choose to become an animagus, you can control when you transform and so on."

"Wicked," Alfie grinned. "I'd love to become one."

"It's very difficult," Michael said. "My cousin's one- registered with the ministry and everything. It took him years- and he's a _Goshawk_!"

"It is very hard," Ella agreed. "But with enough hard work, I'm sure you could become one Alfie. Anyone can- it's just that most wizards don't really have the time to put in so much work. Either way, I was curious…Teddy, do your Metamorphmagus abilities include animal transformations?"

Teddy screwed up his nose a little in contemplation. "I've never tried full animal transformations before," he said, after a short pause. "I mean, I can do certain features."

"Features?" Alfie asked.

"Yeah, like this," Teddy squeezed his eyes shut and felt his face muscles tense. He felt his nose change slightly and opened his eyes again.

Alfie broke out into loud, hysterical laughter. Ella covered her mouth with her hands in an attempt to suppress a giggle that broke out anyway. Michael's eyes widened. Students nearby turned to see what the attraction was and let out loud laughs coated with mirth when they saw Teddy's face. He grinned- morphing his nose into a pig's snout had always been his favourite party trick. Victoire's little brother, Louis, always begged him to do it every time he visited Shell Cottage.

One person, however, was not amused. Teddy heard a low voice behind him mutter "showoff." He spun around to see ashy-haired Terence Gates walking by him, a disgusted expression on his face.

He morphed his nose back to normal, and said loudly, "I'm sorry?"

Terence stopped in his tracks, and turned around to face Teddy. Teddy stared him down, trying to replicate the intimidating look that Victoire gave people when she wanted to get something from them, or prove her superiority.

"I said, you're a showoff." The same students who had been gleefully watching Teddy earlier had now quieted down, and were watching the scene with a new sense of trepidation and interest.

Ella muttered something inaudible under her breath. Terence raised an eyebrow. "Say something, Anderson?"

Teddy looked over his shoulder at Ella, whose hand was shaking slightly. He couldn't help but notice how scared she looked- something rather strange considering how fearless she'd been the previous week at breakfast, when she had confronted Daisy Shipkins. But then again, he supposed that Daisy was far less formidable an enemy than Terence.

"I-I said leave him a-alone," her voice was louder, but still quivered slightly. "I-it's illogical…he hasn't done anything t-to y-you."

Terence laughed, high-pitched, full of malice. "Well, it's more the fact that he exists, isn't it? And as a matter of fact- so do you Anderson."

Ella's face contorted into an expression of hurt and Teddy could see the wheels rotating in her head as she tried to come up with an appropriate comeback, but failed to do so. Teddy just felt angry- who was Terence to talk to him this way? Who was he to insult his friends? "Leave her alone Terence, she's got nothing to do with this…whatever exactly this is."

Terence laughed again. "You don't know what this is, eh, Lupin?"

"No," Teddy was becoming more confident now, his words flowing out with more ease. "All I know is that ever since that day on the platform, you've had it out for me. I don't know why. I certainly don't- or rather _wouldn't- _have any problems with you."

The corner of Terence's mouth twisted upwards into a wicked smile. "Let me clarify _this _for you then." He took a step towards Teddy. "You're a stupid, ugly showoff, who thinks he's so superior to everyone else just because he can change his appearance at will. You morph all the bloody time, making everyone else feel inferior so you can feel special for once in your life."

"That's unfair!" Alfie exclaimed from behind Teddy. Terence's eyes flicked away and landed on Alfie. Alfie returned the gaze with intensity. "Leave him alone."

Terence shrugged lightly. "Make me."

Teddy watched, shocked, as Alfie took out his wand from his robes and pointed it straight at Terence. "Alfie, no, we're not allowed to use magic in the corridors, you'll get into trouble," he hissed.

Terence heard, and grinned. "Yeah, Hayes, listen to your friend. Besides, what are you going to do with that anyway? Stick it up my nose?"

"What do you mean?" Alfie asked, his hand still clenched around his wand.

"Well, a Muggleborn like you wouldn't know how to use it to do _actual _magic."

There was a collective gasp from spectating students. Ella gave out a cry of indignation. Teddy, without thinking about what he had said to Alfie earlier, without thinking about anything at all except for Terence's hateful words and the fact that his parents had _died _to stop this from happening, whipped out his wand and yelled "_WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" _

The spell worked on his first try. Terence was lifted off the ground. His laughter rapidly changed into a quiver. He opened his mouth to beg to be let down, but was stopped by a voice from behind him.

"That is _enough_," a thunderous voice said. Teddy averted his eyes from Terence to see an incredibly angry Professor McGonagall standing in the hallway, her eyes blazing. Teddy couldn't help thinking that the volume of her voice was disproportionate to her appearance; although a rather stern woman, Professor McGonagall did look as if she could be somebody's grandmother. "Put him _down, _Mr. Lupin. Now."

Teddy shakily lowered his wand gently, pulling Terence back down to the floor. The minute his feet hit the ground, Terence was the picture of innocence. "Thank you Professor," he said, turning to McGonagall. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't…"

"Save it, Mr. Gates," McGonagall held up a hand. Terence stopped speaking immediately. "Not only did I see Mr. Lupin's rather quick wandwork- I also heard what you said. My office, now." She paused briefly. "All of you."

Terence, Teddy, Alfie and Ella all turned and meekly followed Professor McGonagall. Michael tried to sneak away but McGonagall was a little too sharp for him. "You too, Mr. Goshawk."

* * *

Professor McGonagall led them up to a deserted corridor on the third floor and brought them in front of a ugly, bronze gargoyle statue. She stood in front of it, and said "fair fortune." Teddy recognized the password as partially belonging to the title of a story from _The Tales of the Beedle and the Bard- _he remembered Aunt Hermione (as she insisted he call her) reading it to him from an old, clearly preowned copy of the fairytale book when he was five or six.

The gargoyle came to life, slowly rotating clockwise and moving upwards, revealing a stone staircase. The students followed McGonagall onto the staircase tentatively. Teddy gripped the bannister to relieve himself from the dizziness he was experiencing as the staircase wound upwards.

When the staircase stopped, they stepped out into a large, airy circular room. There were bookshelves everywhere, filled with titles that Teddy had never even heard of before. A large, claw desk was placed in the centre of the room, and the Sorting Hat lay on a shelf behind it. The walls near the desk had pictures of various witches and wizards- Teddy assumed that they must be past headmasters of Hogwarts.

McGonagall rounded the desk and stood behind it. Terence, Teddy, Ella, Alfie and Michael looked up at her meekly. Teddy was terrified- he knew that using magic in the corridors was strictly against school rules. He didn't want to be expelled! He could just imagine the look of disappointment on Andromeda's face when she found out that he had gotten himself into trouble like this.

"I do not want to know who started it," Professor McGonagall said, looking at the five first-years over her small, rectangular glasses. "What matters is that I expected more from all of you. You should have known better."

"Please, Professor," Teddy said. "Ella, Alfie and Michael didn't have anything to do with it. They just happened to be there at the time."

"That may be, Mr. Lupin," Professor McGonagall said. "But I do want them to hear what I am about to say."

Teddy felt his pulse quicken and his breathing become a little shallow. He glanced over at Terence, who was looking at the floor, his face pale.

"Mr. Gates," Professor McGonagall began, sternly. "I was most shocked to hear what you said to Mr. Hayes. Nothing excuses those words, Mr. Gates, nothing. We do _not _talk down to muggleborns, half-bloods or even purebloods- no one is better than another just because of who their parents may be."

"I'm so sorry, Professor," Terence said. His voice had taken on a new quality- it was more meek, almost scared. "I don't know…I would never…I don't know what happened, I just…I don't know what came over me. I wouldn't…speak like that." He turned to Alfie. "I'm so sorry Hayes, I…I didn't mean it."

Alfie nodded in recognition of the apology. Teddy, although not inclined to forgive Terence so easily, did feel that he was indeed being genuine.

"Please ensure that it does not happen again," Professor McGonagall said. "Ten points will be taken from Gryffindor and you will be given a detention."

Terence bit his lip and nodded slowly.

"And as for you, Mr. Lupin," McGonagall turned her attention to Teddy, who found himself shaking slightly. "Honorable as your intentions may have been, using magic on another student is strictly against the Hogwarts school rules. Such a flagrant disregard for school rules cannot go unpunished. Ten points will be taken from Hufflepuff and you will also be given a detention. See that it does not happen again."

Teddy nodded.

"I will be writing to both of your families to notify them of your misconduct. As for the rest of you," she gestured to Ella, Alfie and Michael, who looked at one another, nervously. "The next time a situation like this arises, you should notify a teacher or a Prefect. Understand?" They nodded quickly. "You are all dismissed."

As they scurried out of the office and into the corridor, Teddy turned to Terence. "Gates," he said, softly. Terence turned to face Teddy, his complexion still pale. "Look, I'm sorry. Just…why don't we start over? Clean slate?" He held out his hand.

Terence stared at it. "If you weren't so adamant to show everyone how well you can morph, none of this would have happened." He glared at Teddy and stormed off in the opposite direction.

"Come on Ted," Alfie approached him. "Don't bother about him. He's not worth it. You tried."

"Yeah, don't worry yourself," Ella smiled sympathetically.

The three of them turned to look at Michael, who was standing a little further away, looking stricken. He glanced at Teddy, and then at Terence's retreating figure. "Y-you know, maybe you shouldn't make such a big deal of your abilities. Sorry," he muttered, before running after Terence.

"Well, how about that," Alfie mumbled.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you all for your lovely reviews, favourites and follows! They mean a ton to me, and they keep me motivated to keep writing this. Also- you may have noticed that I now have a lovely cover, made by the wonderful _Dancer-of-Danger_. She's fantastic- her story 'Do You Believe in Magic?' is amazing and worth a read!

So- what'd you guys think of Michael and Terence in this chapter? And also- did you catch the little reference to one (well...two) of JKR's other books? It's very tiny- ten points to your Hogwarts house if you guess what it is (hint: you'll find it if you take a look at Ella in this chapter)! As usual, reviews are much loved and appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6: Glow (West)

**Chapter Six: Glow (West)**

**A/N: **If, at any point, you forget who an OC is, or forget details about a particular OC, please go to my profile and click on the link that will take you to the complete list of OC's in the story. It's regularly updated after every chapter is posted. **Content warning for the following chapter**: minor swearing, one spoken word, one implied.**  
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When Teddy and Alfie clambered through the circular entrance to the Hufflepuff common room, they found the entire house congregated in the basement. A muscular girl with frizzy orange hair that appeared to resemble a lion's mane stood in the middle of the round space. Teddy recognized her as Macey Longstone- a sixth-year, and the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain.

She, and other members of the house, turned to see who was entering. Teddy noticed that several students started whispering to one another when they saw him; news travelled fast at Hogwarts, and he supposed that the fight between him and Terence was now common knowledge. He expected that wild rumours would have ensued and assumed that he'd be clearing up the story for numerous misguided young souls later.

Macey Longstone, however, did not seem to care about any first-year gossip. Instead, she appraised them somewhat suspiciously, as if they were spies from another house. She relaxed when she saw the Hufflepuff crests on their robes. "Come along then," she said, a little impatiently. "Take a seat, take a seat."

All the armchairs and couches, though, were taken, so Teddy and Alfie scuttled towards the back of the room, ignoring Daisy Shipkins, who was trying desperately to get their attention. Teddy suspected she wanted to be 'the first to know' about the ordeal with Terence in the hallway.

Macey cleared her throat. "Well, thank you all for being here, and showing your support for the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team." A loud smattering of applause followed her statement and she waited for the cheers to subside before she continued. "As many of you know, my name's Macey, and I'm lucky enough to be your Quidditch Captain."

"Go Macey!" a sixth-year boy yelled, causing Daisy to giggle loudly and Macey to turn a shade of red that clashed with her hair.

"Thank you," she said, tucking a lock of orange frizz behind her hair. "Anyway, I'd just like to thank all of you that came out to the trials- you all did wonderfully! It's just unfortunate that we can only pick a certain number of people for the team- but if you didn't get in, don't let it dishearten you. There's always next year."

Teddy glanced around the room. Many Hufflepuffs were biting their lips, looking nervously at the floor or gripping the hands of their best friends. Teddy noticed that Daisy was doing all three. "Did Daisy Shipkins try out for the team?" he whispered to Alfie.

"Huh?" Alfie said. "I don't think so…but I think her sister did. Laura Shipkins?" He pointed at a Hufflepuff girl sitting near the front. Teddy couldn't see her face, but she had the same, long, ginger hair that Daisy did.

"Well, without further adue," Macey smiled, a little shakily. She reached into her robe pockets and extracted an envelope. Opening it gingerly, she pulled out a sheet of parchment. "If I call your name, please come to the front. This year, our Chasers will be… Lydia Brennan, fourth-year, new team member! Kyle Worth, seventh-year, returning team member! Mitchell Jones, fifth-year, returning team member!"

The common room erupted into thunderous applause as the new Chasers stood up excitedly and walked towards the team captain. Macey waited patiently.

"And our Beaters will be…Lucas Mills, third-year, new team member!" Teddy recognized the boy who had first spoken to him at the feast, grinning and high-fiving his friends as he moved to the middle of the room. "And of course, I will be continuing on as Beater."

"Macey Longstone, sixth-year, returning team member and CAPTAIN!" The same sixth-year boy who had earlier called Macey's name shouted.

"Yes, thank you for that excellent description Pierce," Macey said, lightly. "Our Keeper this year will be Faye Keys, fifth-year, and returning player!" Faye hopped up from the front and joined the line that the team had formed.

"And now, we've just got one more position to go."

"What's that?" Alfie whispered to Teddy. Although Teddy had tried to explain the rules of Quidditch to Alfie multiple times, Alfie was still a little confused. He expected it would get easier once he actually saw a match.

"Seeker," Teddy mumbled. "The one that catches the Snitch."

"That's the one Daisy's sister tried out for, I think."

"And our Seeker for this year is…" Macey paused for impact. Teddy could hear the collective intake of breath that swept through the Hufflepuff common room, almost as if everyone was bracing for impact. "Bella Watson! Fifth-year and new member!"

Thunderous applause followed- no one clapping louder than Alfie, of course. Bella demurely walked through the crowd of students and into the middle of the room. Her grin stretched from ear to ear as she greeted her fellow teammates and waved to the rest of the Hufflepuffs. Alfie almost waved back, but Teddy grabbed his arm, seeing no need to attract unnecessary attention.

Teddy cast a glance at Daisy. Her disappointment and disgust was clear; her eyes were narrow and she was staring at Bella with a cold, undisguised fury. She whispered something in Matilda's ear, and Matilda shifted uncomfortably.

"So that's our Quidditch team, folks!" Macey said, cheerily. "Here's to a great year- and to Hufflepuff winning the Quidditch cup! _GO HUFFLEPUFF!" _

"_GO HUFFLEPUFF!" _the members of the house cheered. Teddy yelled the words at the top of his lungs- he may have only been identified as a Hufflepuff two weeks ago, but the house had become his family at Hogwarts. He loved the smiles he got from others wearing yellow-and-black ties, the late-night laughter in the common room, or in his dormitory, the feeling that he had a support network, that he belonged. There was something special, and unique about it.

One Hufflepuff, however, was not pleased at all. She stood up from where she was sitting at the front, her hands planted firmly on her hips as she stared Macey down.

"_She's _Seeker?" Laura Shipkins's voice cut through the air in the common room. Teddy and Alfie glanced at one another, making _uh-oh _faces. Conflict was clearly brewing and although Teddy had been taught by his godfather and grandmother to keep his nose out of other people's business, he was transfixed by the situation, a cloying desire to watch events unfold developing inside of him.

"Yes, Laura," Macey said calmly. "Bella performed excellently at the tryouts- it was a very close call between the two of you, but I'm afraid that Bella's statistics were simply superior."

"How _dare _you!?" Laura shrieked. "This isn't fair. That _slut _does not deserve to be in the team."

"There was a collective gasp across the common room. Teddy could barely believe Laura's nerve. Even Daisy herself looked a little wide-eyed. Bella's face was straight; she was clearly trying not to show any sort of emotion or reaction.

"Laura," Macey's anger was visible now. "There are _first-years _here. That kind of language is unacceptable."

"Of course you'd defend her, you're a biased little…"

"That's enough!" a sixth-year Prefect stood up. "Go to your dormitory Laura. Now."

Laura glanced nervously around the common room. With a flick of her robe, she was gone, striding down one of the tunnels to the dorms. Daisy ran after her, along with most of the fifth-year girls.

"The plot thickens, ay?" Alfie said to Teddy. "With a sister like that, it's no wonder Daisy doesn't like Bella. I wonder what Bella's done to Laura. I mean Bella's such a lovely girl and…"

"You like her, eh?" Teddy asked casually, winking at Alfie, who proceeded to turn a bright pink.

"N-no…I r-respect her…she's a…"

"Yes?" Teddy teased.

"Oh alright," Alfie huffed. "She's very attractive. You know."

"She's also four years older."

"Maybe she doesn't mind the age difference," Alfie waggled his eyebrows, and Teddy hit him squarely in the middle of the shoulders. "Ow!"

"If Ella could hear you…"

"If Ella could hear me, I'd be dead. Or be in the middle of one of her lectures, which is as good as being dead." He rolled his eyes dramatically.

"True," Teddy laughed. Ella's lectures ranged in topic from the latest magical news, to random things she'd learned about in something she'd read, to moral reprimandings. He'd almost fallen asleep during the last one- a not-so-fascinating one-way discussion about the care of unicorns.

"Seriously though," Alfie's expression reverted back to somber. "What do you think Bella's done to Laura?"

"She might not have done anything," Teddy said, thoughtfully.

"Sorry?"

"Sometimes, people just don't like other people. It doesn't need to be for a reason." He thought of Andromeda's tales about the stigma his father had faced for being a werewolf, he thought about how Terence was acting out against him even when he'd apologized and tried to make good.

Alfie raised an eyebrow. "What's with the wisdom, mate? First Ella…now you. Am I missing a little window into the world of insight or something?"

Teddy laughed. "Nah, Alfie. Don't worry about it."

But Alfie couldn't seem, for the life of him, to let it go. That evening at dinner, he solemnly proclaimed that life was like a roast chicken. "Other people will enjoy it once you're dead."

Ella raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, I don't quite follow."

Teddy scrunched up his face, trying to figure out what on Earth Alfie could have possibly meant.

Alfie turned a bright shade of red. "Y-you know, because we enjoy the roast chicken and it helps us enjoy life but the poor chicken is dead and…oh never mind," he sunk back into his chair. "I don't even know what I'm saying."

Teddy laughed and patted his friend on the back. "Don't worry. We don't either."

Alfie mumbled something, but Teddy, distracted, didn't quite hear. Instead, he was focusing on an event unfolding at the end of the first-year table, where Terence was sitting with Michael. An older Slytherin girl had approached Terence and beckoned to him to come with her. He got up and followed her to a small distance away from the table. Teddy squinted to try and get a better look; Terence had gone very pale and the girl appeared to be shouting at him.

"Who's that?" Alfie asked quizzically, following Teddy's gaze. Teddy shrugged.

Ella craned her neck to look. "Don't know…" she said thoughtfully. "They look similar though- same hair color…same upturned nose…I wonder," she turned to Lucy Kites, a Slytherin first-year. "Lucy! Do you know that girl?" She gestured to the Slytherin with Terence.

Lucy squinted. "Yeah…that's Kayla Gates. Third-year."

"Terence's sister?" Teddy said, with a note of surprise. He wasn't quite sure why, but he'd never thought of Terence as having siblings. He seemed to be an independent actor.

"She looks _mad_," Alfie commented. "You don't suppose she's heard about his antics in the hallway?"

"It seems logical," Ella said, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"Oh, yes, when he insulted you?" Lucy was suddenly very interested. "I heard all about that. Michael told us…we managed to get it out of him even though he was _very _disappointed about not getting into the Slytherin Quidditch team."

"Oh he didn't get in, did he?" Matilda slipped in. Teddy hadn't realized that she'd been listening to the conversation.

"No," Lucy said, barely glancing up at Matilda. "Anyway, Kayla overheard, and she didn't look thrilled at all. You know their granddad's a Muggleborn?"

"Merlin," Teddy mumbled under his breath. No wonder Terence had looked so ashen-faced, so terrified, and so apologetic when they'd been in McGonagall's office. Alfie and Ella looked absolutely shocked.

"But how could he even _think _those things, let alone _say _them?" Alfie said.

"Maybe he doesn't have a good relationship with his granddad," Ella said, thoughtfully. "Not everyone does you know."

_I wouldn't know_, Teddy thought. His maternal grandfather had been killed by Death Eaters and his paternal grandfather had died before he was born. He didn't know much about his paternal grandparents, actually- both Andromeda and Harry, his main sources of information about his background, had never met them.

"Anyway," Ella snapped out of her thoughtful trance and leaned forward to put some salad onto her plate. Teddy noticed that she ate a little bit like a rabbit; she wasn't too fond of the roasts and the meats that the Hogwarts kitchens cooked so well. Instead, she preferred the healthier options. Teddy thought she was mad- given the choice, he'd always pick the tastier choices. "We shouldn't be speculating. It's Terence's business, not ours."

"Yeah," Teddy said, although his curiosity was not, at all satiated.

* * *

The next couple of weeks passed uneventfully, save for the angry letter he had received from Andromeda reprimanding him for using magic in the corridors. "_Against another student! Really, Teddy!" _She had also promised that should she receive any further communication from Professor McGonagall informing her of Teddy's misdeeds, he would be receiving a Howler. Teddy had groaned and buried his face in his hands while Ella had helpfully explained the workings of a Howler to a very bemused Alfie.

On the fourth of October, Teddy- disguising himself by changing his face shape, hair color (his typical turquoise was unusual at Hogwarts) and eye color- surreptitiously checked the lunar record in the Hogwarts library and found, much to his chagrin, that a full moon was expected for that night.

_Great_, he thought, as he walked back to the Hufflepuff basement._ And I've got a Transfiguration quiz tomorrow_.

Full moons had always been a pain for Teddy. Not as much of a pain, he noted, as they might be for full-blown werewolves. But a pain all the same.

He was never able to sleep on full moon nights. Instead, he would find himself doing the strangest things. He was always attracted to the outdoors, finding it comforting to be around nature, even when it was minus ten degrees outside. He would often just lie somewhere, and breathe in the fresh air, feeling exhilarated and free. But other times, his impulses became stronger, almost uncontrollable. One horrible month, Andromeda had awoken to find him eating a slab of barely-cooked meat. Teddy had tried to explain himself, but he found that he couldn't.

The only other person who seemed to understand was Bill Weasley. He too was a part-werewolf and had helped Teddy to understand some of the wolfish tendencies that the two of them faced. In fact, it was partially thanks to this that Andromeda had started frequently taking Teddy to Shell Cottage and he had developed such a strong friendship with Victoire.

He was restless throughout the day, always fidgeting and looking awfully uncomfortable. Ella asked him what was wrong, but he denied that he was acting strangely. She shrugged it off, but kept sending worrying looks his way. After dinner, he caught her lecturing Alfie to keep an eye on him.

"Really, I'm fine," he reassured the two of them.

"You sure, mate?" Alfie, who earlier hadn't noticed that anything was up, looked awfully worried.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Teddy smiled in what he hoped was a confident manner. In truth, he was feeling anything but confident.

Night fell and the moon cast an eerie glow on Hogwarts Castle. The usual, vibrant colours of the campus faded to pale blue and purple pastels. Teddy didn't like it much- he was always one for bright colors. _Like your mother_, Andromeda always said. _Your father preferred darker tones- your mother taught him to love vibrance_.

Teddy lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his dormitory. It was only when he was sure that Alfie, Matthew, Jonathan and Archie were asleep that he got up, ever so quietly, and skulked over to the mirror in the corner of the room. He stared at his reflection- bright turquoise hair, his father's eyes and lanky limbs, his mother's smile and nose. He knew the penalties for sneaking out after bedtime, and he knew that it was too dangerous to go out looking like himself, what with Filch lurking around the corridors.

He needed a new face and appearance- one that wouldn't get him in trouble if he was caught. He toyed with the idea of transforming himself into Terence, just for the heck of it (and slightly out of malice), but he decided he couldn't do that to someone. Plus, should he be caught, Terence wouldn't be very understanding.

Who would be understanding? Teddy considered Ella and Alfie, but decided against it. Should they be seen wandering around the corridors in the middle of the night, it would raise suspicion. Plus, he didn't want to take advantage of them and their friendship.

_What about Professor Longbottom?_

It made sense. Professor Longbottom was kind and understanding; should Teddy be caught, he would understand his motives, and perhaps be forgiving. And plus, no one would think too much of a professor walking through the halls at night- after all, that was allowed, wasn't it?

He screwed up his nose and slowly changed his features into Professor Longbottom's. When he was satisfied, he crept quietly out of the dormitory and through the common room, careful not to accidentally hit into anything. He just managed to narrowly avoid a vase on a low table in the common room.

Once he was out into the hallway, he realized that he didn't know where to go. He considered the nearby kitchens- he was _starving_, but he didn't want to risk someone walking in on him tearing apart a piece of raw meat. That, he was sure, was definitely out of character for Professor Longbottom.

_Perhaps the library?_ It would be dark and quiet, and nobody would be likely to see him. Teddy figured he'd be able to wait out the night by reading a book- maybe there'd be some useful knowledge for his transfiguration test. He decided, then, on the library and began to make his way up the stairs, making a concerted effort to stick to the shadows.

Professor Longbottom was much taller and rounder than Teddy was, and navigating through the Hogwarts hallways proved difficult. He struggled to stay balanced, not wanting to crash into one of the suits of armour that lined the hallways. Such an event would certainly bring Mrs. Norris running, with Filch not far behind.

Thankfully, he managed to get to the library without creating any disturbances. He slowly opened the heavy oak door and slipped inside, taking care to close the door with as little noise as possible. Thankfully, the night was still; should it have been windy, Teddy suspected that the breeze would have pulled the door from his hand and slammed it against the frame. _Thank Merlin for small mercies. _

The library was freezing, and Teddy began to wish that he'd brought a jacket or something to shield him from the dropping temperature. Scotland was much colder in October than Godric's Hollow, he thought to himself, hugging himself. _Hogwarts corridors really need heating_.

Teddy was content to pick out a book from the transfiguration section and settle down on one of the reading couches that Madame Pince had placed on the library floor. Perhaps he'd even be able to find a blanket somewhere- Madame Pince might have left one of her drab shawls lying around. His fingers traced the spines of the ancient volumes on the bookshelves, and he was about to pull one out when he heard a voice behind him.

"It's not opening!"

"For Merlin's sake, _shut up_," another voice hissed. Teddy pressed himself into a corner, hardly daring to breathe. "Someone might hear us!"

"Everyone's bloody asleep!"

"Filch's cat's a zombie, I'm tellin' ya, the thing don't need sleep."

"It won't come if you hurry up!" yet another voice said. Teddy, curious, snuck out from his corner and peered around the bookshelf. Four boys in pajamas were standing next to the rope that cordoned off the restricted section, attempting to open the lock that kept the rope in place with a large, rusted iron key.

"Ya sure that's the righ' key?" the second voice said.

"Yes, I pinched it from Pince's keychain!" the first voice replied, indignantly.

"Ooh, pinched it from Pince," the fourth boy tittered. "Good one."

"Shut _up!_"

Teddy didn't know what they were up to, but breaking into the restricted section at midnight couldn't possibly be a good idea. Whatever they were trying to do, he didn't want to get caught up in it. He'd already gotten in trouble for the debacle with Terence- anything more, and he wouldn't blame McGonagall for sending him straight home. And, even if she didn't, he'd still have the Howler from his grandmother to face.

He waited until all four boys were preoccupied with trying to open the lock, and then snuck past, as quietly and quickly as he possibly could. His heart was leaving bruises on his ribcage as he carefully opened the door, and slipped out into the dark castle corridors.

_Where now?_

When he looked back on that night, he would remember that he never really thought about his destination consciously. All he remembered was putting one foot in front of the other, aimlessly strolling through the Hogwarts corridors as if he was being propelled by an invisible force. His eyes were glassy, almost, as he walked down the ever-changing staircases, and out into the cold, open air.

The icicles that formed in his nose as he breathed in the frozen oxygen in the air didn't seem to bother him anymore. The dull colours, the eerie glow, none of it seemed to matter as Teddy drifted across the Hogwarts courtyard, to the back edge of the Forbidden Forest, just near Hagrid's hut. The moon had caught Teddy in it's light and it wasn't about to release him. Had it let him go, even for a second, he would have noticed the light still burning in the window of Hagrid's cabin.

But he wasn't focusing on that. Instead, he was captivated as his senses came alive. The forest suddenly seemed so appealing- he wanted to run through the trees and feel the wind streak through his air, cut against his cheeks. He heard the howls of the wolves in the forest, and he wanted nothing more than to join them, to howl with them.

"Professor Longbottom?"

_To join his kind._

"Neville?"

_To become one with the night._

"NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM!"

Teddy snapped out of his trance and spun around to see Hagrid, holding a crossbow, his large frame faintly illuminated by the pale light from the moon and the stars.

"It's dangerous teh be ou' here, Neville, it's late an'" he suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowing. "Yeh're not Neville." He pointed the crossbow menacingly towards Teddy. "Who are yeh?" he growled.

Teddy screwed up his- or rather, Professor Longbottom's- nose, and felt his body lighten and shrink, his features returning to his own. Hagrid, startled, put the crossbow down. "Teddy?" he said in a surprised tone. "What're yeh doing out here so late? Get yerself inside," he gestured towards his hut. Teddy stayed, frozen.

"Wha'? Oh," Hagrid's eyebrows rose. "Are yeh…yeh going teh…y'know…transform? I… I din' know i' was genetic, bu' with yer father bein' one, it's only expected tha' yeh migh' be…yeh godfather never mentioned i'."

"I'm not going to transform," Teddy said quietly. "I never have. Don't worry, I'm not dangerous. I…," he glanced around himself, suddenly aware of his surroundings, and the sharp cold. "I don't know why I'm here."

Hagrid's expression softened and he hurried forward to Teddy. "Come on, Teddy, yeh must be freezing." The half-giant wrapped a thick arm around Teddy's shoulders and steered him inside the little, one-room hut. Teddy peered around curiously; the room had a large bed in the corner, hams and pheasants hanging from the ceiling, and a roaring fireplace. Hagrid planted Teddy in front of the fire. "Now han' on, I've got a blanket aroun' here someplace."

A large, old boarhound lifted his head from the rug on the floor near Teddy, where he'd been sleeping. Drool dripped from the corner of his mouth.

"Tha's Fang, Teddy," Hagrid said, tossing Teddy a slightly moth-eaten, but very thick woolen blanket. "Don' worry- yeh can touch him. Won' hurt a fly, Fang won'."

Teddy reached forward and tentatively stroked the large dogs head. Fang looked up at him fondly with large, chocolate eyes and shifted slightly, to make it easier for Teddy to reach him. Teddy smiled.

"Yeh've got a good way with dogs, eh?" Hagrid chuckled. "Yeh should take care o' magical creatures when yeh get teh thir' year- yeh'd be good at it."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm half a magical creature myself," Teddy mumbled. He lifted his hand from Fang to pull the blanket tighter around himself. The boarhound let out a low whine, disappointed that Teddy's attention had been diverted. "Professor Hagrid?"

"Jus' Hagrid," the big man said with a smile. "Yeh don' need to call me Professor. I don' teach yeh, not yet. "

"Hagrid, then," Teddy smiled. "How did you know I wasn't Professor Longbottom?"

"Huh? Oh, easy!" Hagrid exclaimed. "Professor Longbottom's got a scar, righ' there," he ran his finger over the top of his own bushy eyebrow. "Got it in the Battle of Hogwarts, he did."

"Right," Teddy mumbled. Transforming into others as a Metamorphmagus was, unfortunately, not like using Polyjuice Potion. He couldn't just think of the person he wanted to look like and immediately assume their appearance. Instead, he had to shape himself to look like them, relying on his memory to create their features. He would be unable to morph any characteristics that he hadn't seen, or didn't remember seeing. He couldn't remember noticing Professor Longbottom's scar, and hence, he hadn't thought to recreate it.

"Yeh mus' be hungry," Hagrid said, changing the subject suddenly. Teddy glanced up at him.

"Yeah…yeah, I am," he felt the empty hole in his stomach, the rumbling of his stomach juices. "How'd you know?"

"Yer father came in 'ere, a few times back when he was a' Hogwarts," Hagrid said over his shoulder, as he walked towards the fridge. "He'd jus' gotten back teh human form, was weak- unable teh make it teh the hospital wing, so he'd jus' come in here. He was always hungry. Figured it migh' be a wolf thing."

"I'm not a wolf," Teddy mumbled.

"Yeh, bu' yeh got the tenden…what's the word? Tendencies, yeah tha's it." He ruffled through the fridge. "I got some rock cakes an' some steak- not very cooked the steak is, a bit rare. Yeh fine with tha'?"

Teddy nodded. "I don't mind- it sounds great actually."

Hagrid got out a large, cracked plate from a rickety kitchen cupboard and piled it with rock cakes and a large portion of the steak. He handed it to Teddy, who got quite the shock when he bit into one of the rock cakes. He was pretty sure he'd almost fractured his tooth.

"Hagrid?"

"Yeah Teddy?"

"Can I…" Teddy paused, not sure how to phrase the question. "Can I…can I come here? On full moons."

Hagrid's eyes widened slightly. He walked over from the kitchen and sat down next to Teddy. "O' course yeh can Teddy," he said warmly. "Anytime yeh want."

Teddy looked up at the big-man, wondering how such a kind person could possibly have giant blood. _But then again_, he thought. _Our personalities aren't determined by the type of blood that runs in our veins- are they?_ "Thank you."

"But min' yeh, tha' doesn' mean I approve of yeh runnin' around the school after lights-ou'," Hagrid said, his tone light, even though he was giving a warning.

"I understand."

"Yer godfather- he was always runnin' around after he was supposed teh be in bed, he was. Didn' always do him much good- lost fifty points for Gryffindor once."

Teddy's jaw dropped. _Fifty points? _In retrospect, the ten that he'd lost after the debacle with Terence didn't seem so bad anymore.

Hagrid chuckled at Teddy's shocked expression. "Didn' tell yeh that, did he?"

Teddy, still dumbstruck, shook his head.

"Well, good! Gives me summat teh tell yeh. It all started with a dragon egg."

"A _dragon _egg?!"

"A dragon egg."

Teddy would emerge from Hagrid's hut in the wee hours of the morning, as the sun cast its first rays over the horizon, restoring vibrance to the world. He had heard stories about his godfather, his father, his mother, and he too had traded some tales of his own- Hagrid had been most interested to hear all about the first-born of Bill Weasley and "tha' Veela girl tha' the school was in love with when she came for the Triwizard tournamen'."

He was exhausted, and much to Professor Ellacott's disappointment, he only managed to scrape a passing mark on the transfiguration test. _But_, he thought to himself, _it was all worth it._

* * *

**A/N**: Hope you enjoyed it! What'd you guys think of Teddy's nightly escapades around Hogwarts- they were fun to write! And since no one's managed to figure out my reference to two of JKR's other (non-HP) books, I'll give you a hint. It reappears in this chapter, and you don't have to scroll up very far to find it. I'm also curious to see if you can figure out what aspect of the chapter the chapter titles refer to- they aren't always straightforward! Again, your reviews, favourites and follows are much loved and appreciated!

_A quick note of clarification: _I know it's widely accepted that Victoire is born on the 2nd of May, 2000. I write her, however, as being born on the 2nd of May, **1999_,_** which makes her a year younger than Teddy.


	7. Chapter 7: Unguarded (Asphodel)

**Chapter Seven: Unguarded (Asphodel)**

By Thursday, Teddy had fully recovered from his full-moon escapade and was back to his usual, cheery self. The first few days of the week had been horrible- not only had he almost failed the transfiguration test, but he had also found it difficult to stay awake during classes and follow instructions properly. He'd completely lost count of the number of times that Alfie or Ella had to shake him awake either during class, or during one of Ella's lectures about how he shouldn't sleep during class.

He hadn't told them about his night-time adventure around the school, of course, instead attributing his overt exhaustion to a disturbed sleep. Ella suggested that he see Madame Pomfrey to get a sleeping potion, but Teddy had said there was no need and that his sleep cycle would probably sort itself out in a day or so. He'd experienced this type of weariness often after full moons and found that after a couple nights of good sleep, it went away, only to return when once again, the color was sucked from the world.

Thursday morning found Teddy and Alfie in Herbology with the Gryffindors, listening to Professor Longbottom give a fascinating lecture about the Venomous Tentacula- a plant that was apparently so dangerous that they wouldn't be able to deal with it practically until their sixth-year. Although the properties of the poisonous plant were very interesting, Teddy found his eyes drifting upwards until they rested on the patch of skin just above Professor Longbottom's eyebrows.

He noticed it for the first time- the jagged line of puckered skin, slightly raised. St. Mungo's Healers were able to effectively heal most scars, unless the scar had been created by a form of dark magic. Teddy wondered which dark spell had hit Professor Longbottom during the Battle of Hogwarts, which Death Eater had given him that mark. Had it been his great-auntie Bellatrix, who'd tortured and killed his mother? Or had it been Dolohov, the wizard who'd killed his father?

He was lost in thought when Alfie gently whacked him on the arm and muttered, "you're not about to fall asleep again, mate, are you?"

"Nah," Teddy shook his head. "Just thinking."

"About the Venomous Tentacula?" Alfie looked confused. "You were pretty deep in thought about a plant there."

"Yeah, I was just thinking about possible antidotes to its' poison. Y'know, in case Terence gets any ideas."

Alfie stifled a laugh. "I wouldn't put it past him. Though you never know, he might just stab himself with one of the spikes when he goes to extract the poison. We can hope"

"Mr. Lupin, Mr. Hayes," Professor Longbottom said, provoking Alfie and Teddy to quickly turn to face the front, eyes wide and innocent. "Please try to pay attention," he smiled at them. "The Venomous Tentacula _is_ on the syllabus for the theory examination."

Teddy and Alfie muttered apologies and quickly resumed taking notes, ignoring the glare that Terence Gates was fixing them with. He continued to give them dirty looks throughout the lesson, and shoved past Teddy on the way out of the door of the greenhouse. Teddy just glanced at Alfie and sighed- he had tried to be nice to Terence, he had tried to wave a white flag and make peace. It wasn't his fault if Terence didn't want to make friends, and quite honestly, Teddy had given up caring.

He hadn't, however, given up caring about Michael Goshawk. As obnoxious as he could be, Michael did seem to be a lovely boy, and Teddy had really enjoyed talking to him and spending time with him over the first few weeks. After the debacle in the hallway, however, their relationship had become a little strained. Teddy tried his best to interact with Michael during classes, but Michael had seemed a little cold and distant. It surprised him, then, when Michael came up to him during lunch on Thursday, and asked if he could speak with Teddy privately.

Teddy agreed, exchanged a glance with Alfie and Ella, and got up. Matilda watched, curiously. Michael led Teddy to a short distance away from the table. "Look," he said, shifting a little uncomfortably. "I'm sorry about the way I've been acting over the last few weeks. I know I've been a little...well…what's the word?"

"Cold?" Teddy suggested.

"Yeah," Michael nodded. "Yeah, that's it. I get that your morphing thing is a big deal for everyone here. I guess I was just…jealous, you know?"

"Was?" Teddy had sharp ears, and picked up on Michael's use of the past tense. "Does that mean you're not jealous anymore?"

"Not really," Michael shrugged. "I mean, no offense or anything, but _I _am a Goshawk, which is far rarer than being a…a…sorry what's it called?"

"Metamorphmagus," Teddy said, smiling. Other people might've been offended at Michael's air of superiority, but right now, Teddy loved it. It meant that Michael was back.

"Right, that, yes," Michael said. "Well anyway, a Goshawk has no need to be jealous. So I'm not jealous of you."

"Thank you, Michael," Teddy said, smiling.

"Are you jealous of me?" Michael phrased the question almost rhetorically.

Teddy grinned. "Just a bit, Michael, just a bit," he said, lightly.

Michael puffed up his chest, as if to say '_good'_. "But listen," his voice suddenly became more serious. "I want to be friends with you. But I also want to be friends with Terence."

Teddy raised an eyebrow. "And?" He came off sounding a little more harsh than he intended.

"And I hope that's…not going to be a problem," Michael finished uncomfortably, as if he'd lost track of what he really wanted to say.

"It's not," Teddy said, more confidently than he felt. _Let Michael be friends with Terence_, he thought to himself. _How's it bothering you?_

Michael smiled. "Good to know." He held out his hand. "Truce?"

Teddy shook it. "Truce." He glanced back at Ella and Alfie, who were peering at him curiously, and gave them a thumbs up. Michael followed his gaze and waved at Ella and Alfie, who waved back tentatively, as if they weren't quite sure whether or not Teddy and Michael had actually made up.

It became quite evident that they had, however, when Michael resumed occasionally sitting with them at the first-year table during breakfast, and with Alfie and Teddy during Transfiguration. Teddy was glad to have Michael back into his fold, even if Michael did spend a lot of time with Terence. Alfie had been awfully suspicious at first, even going so far as to proclaim that Michael might be spying on them for Terence. It was Ella who eventually reasoned it out.

"Well, they do have a ton of classes together," she said calmly, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Gryffindors and Slytherins…you know. The rivalry between those houses isn't as big as it used to be."

"There used to be a Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry?" Alfie asked.

"Yeah- still is, it's just not as bad."

"Who's Hufflepuff rivals with?"

"People used to think Hufflepuff was a useless house," Teddy said, shaking his head with disgust.

"What? Why!?" Alfie was indignant.

"I guess they didn't appreciate loyalty and hard work," Teddy shrugged.

"I think that perception changed after the Battle of Hogwarts," Ella said, thoughtfully.

"I'm still confused as to the details of this First Wizarding War anyway…" Alfie mumbled. Several students had mentioned the wars- Teddy and Alfie had overheard a girl talking about how her older sister had fought in the Second Wizarding War.

"The Battle of Hogwarts was during the Second Wizarding War," Ella corrected. "The wars are connected though- and long and difficult to explain. The Battle of Hogwarts finished them both off- the dark wizard who was head of the bad side, V…Voldemort, was killed in it, along with loads of other people on both sides. Hogwarts students stayed to fight- the stereotype against Hufflepuffs was reversed because pretty much all of the students that could stay stayed and fought just because they knew it was the right thing to do- not for the glory, like some of the the Gryffindors- not to say that the Gryffindor's didn't know it was the right thing to do, but... anyway, I can't explain the whole thing. Read about it- there are probably books in the library."

"Can't be bothered to read," Alfie muttered. Ella shot him a sharp look.

"Alfred Hayes! Books will give you all the knowledge you've ever wanted!"

They continued arguing all the way to the Great Hall. Neither of them noticed that Teddy had gone very, very quiet.

* * *

The weekend passed quietly and uneventfully- and thankfully, without another mention of the Battle of Hogwarts, or the Wizarding Wars. Monday morning found the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws heading out across the Hogwarts courtyard, into the large, open Quidditch pitch, reserved for Quidditch practices, matches and flying lessons.

They had had their first flying lesson a couple of weeks earlier. Teddy hadn't had much trouble with the basics- he'd learned how to fly when he was five years old, thanks to his godparents. He supposed he did have a bit of an unfair advantage- after all, his godmother was a former pro, and his godfather had been the youngest House Player at Hogwarts. Even his grandmother made a killer Keeper during the annual Potter-Weasley Quidditch match at the Burrow in the summers. Teddy loved that even though he wasn't technically a Potter or a Weasley, he was always invited to all their family events. Andromeda had tried to shy out a couple of times, but Arthur Weasley had protested- saying that they were technically related, through some long and complicated Black family connection. Thankfully, Andromeda had relented.

Ella had been fairly good at flying too, stating that although she'd only been on one once or twice before, it really was all logical. Teddy had just stared at her blankly- he wasn't quite sure how flying could be considered _logical_. Ella hadn't deigned to explain.

Alfie's performance had been the most unexpected. While most of the other Muggleborns had struggled slightly, Alfie had taken to the sky like a bird that had been flying all his life. Even he was shocked when Madame Hooch complimented him on his excellent broomwork and said that if he kept it up, he would become a fine Quidditch player someday.

The students lined up beside the school brooms that Madame Hooch had laid out on the pitch. The brooms weren't top of the market- they were an old, Cleansweep model, and didn't compare to Harry's Firebolt II or Ginny's pro-level Firebolt IV. Teddy noticed some of the other students looking at the brooms disdainfully, but he himself didn't mind. As long as the brooms flew reliably.

Madame Hooch walked the length of the line of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, looking at them sternly. "Good morning," she said.

"Good morning Madame Hooch," the chorus of students replied.

"Now, last time we learned the basic skills- how to mount the broom, kick off, fly in basic circles and adjust height. Does everyone remember?"

Teddy, Ella and Alfie nodded, along with their other classmates.

"Are there any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Excellent," Madame Hooch looked very pleased as she surveyed the eager students. "We can move right on then."

Matthew Rivers reached for his broom, and began to mount it. Madame Hooch quickly held out a hand. "No, no, no," she reprimanded. "Put it down, Mr. Rivers." Matthew quickly dropped the broom onto the grass. "Thank you. What is the first rule of flying safety?"

Matthew hung his head. Ella put up her hand.

"Mr. Rivers. What is the first rule of flying safety?"

"I forgot," Matthew mumbled. "Sorry." His typical enthusiasm had been drained from his voice. Teddy felt sorry for him.

Madame Hooch raised her eyebrows. "Mr. Rivers, it is incredibly important that you understand the rules. Please pay more attention next time." Her eyes drifted to Ella, who's hand was still firmly in the air. "Miss Anderson? What is the first rule of flying safety?"

"Always wait for instructions," Ella recited, looking rather pleased with herself.

"That's right, Miss Anderson," Madame Hooch nodded at Ella, before resuming her pacing up at down the line of first-years. "I expect all of you to know how to keep yourself safe. I will _not _be responsible for any injuries, is that clear?"

"Yes Madame Hooch," the first-years replied in unison.

"Good. Today, we're going to be polishing up the skills that we learned last time. I've set up an obstacle course above the Hogwarts grounds," she gestured to the castle behind them. There was a murmuring of interest from the students.

"What kind of obstacles?" Alfie whispered, almost fearfully to Ella and Teddy. Teddy thought Alfie's fear was unfounded, especially since he'd already proven himself to be a proficient flier. Teddy did feel a little nervous himself though- what if the obstacles included magical creatures?

It turned out that he didn't need to be worried. The course was simple- go through the centre Quidditch hoop, over the clock tower, through the shaded areas of the courtyard, under the stone bridge, through the greenhouses, through the gaps in the viaduct and finally, back to the Quidditch pitch. Madame Hooch had set up a system so that each location had a magical checkpoint. That way, she'd be able to keep tabs on them.

She divided the first-years up into groups of five. Alfie, Ella and Teddy huddled together, and were lucky enough to be put into the same group, along with Madhuri and Jonathan Trigg. They were the fifth group to kick-off.

Alfie zoomed off immediately, gaining a sizeable lead. He flew through the centre Quidditch hoop, rounded the corner and suddenly, Teddy couldn't see him anymore. Teddy lowered himself on his broom, streamlining his body so that he could go faster. Ella did the same behind him. They flew consecutively through the Quidditch hoop and over the clock tower, neck-in-neck.

Teddy winked at Ella. "Race you!" he yelled. The wind carried his voice across the space between the two brooms.

Ella grinned. "You're on!"

Teddy squeezed his legs closer to the body of his broom and sped up, quickly turning the corners in the shaded areas of the courtyard. He craned his neck back to see where Ella was, but later regretted the momentary distraction when he almost slammed into a wall. To recover, he had to slow down significantly, and Ella, who was behind him, flew past him. He could hear her laughing as she went by.

_I can't let her beat me, _he thought, determined. He knew it was shallow, but he just wanted to be better at Ella for once. She was always beating him in the classroom- he wasn't about to let her beat him at flying. _Plus, Victoire wouldn't stop laughing at me._

Digging his heels into the back of his broom, he gained speed again, catching up to Ella as they flew over the checkpoints under the stone bridge and through the greenhouses. As they passed Greenhouse Three, he caught a glimpse of Professor Longbottom. He considered lifting his hand to wave, but decided against it, figuring it would just cause an unnecessary delay.

Teddy and Ella zig-zagged through the gaps in the viaduct, neck-in-neck. They both pushed their brooms to the limit, gaining speed as they approached the Quidditch pitch. Teddy could see the faces of other students coming closer and closer and closer, until finally, he skidded to a stop on the soft grass and tumbled off his broom, exhausted. Ella did the same.

"I think I won," she said, smiling at Teddy.

"Are you kidding?" Teddy said indignantly. He reached out to whack her on the arm, but heard Andromeda's voice in his head. _You never hit a girl, Teddy. Never._ He withdrew his hand. "I won," he said, stubbornly.

"Oh, no, I was here about a second before you were."

Teddy laughed. "Let's just say it was a tie then, yeah?"

Ella grinned. "Okay."

Madame Hooch approached where they lay on the ground. Teddy struggled to sit up. "Did either of you see Mr. Hayes while you were completing the course?"

Teddy looked at Ella and shook his head. "Alfie? No…I didn't see him. I…I thought he was in front of us?" He glanced around the pitch, quizzically, looking for Alfie, but couldn't see him.

"Sorry Madame Hooch," Ella said. "I didn't see him either."

"Is something wrong?" Teddy asked quickly. "Is he alright?"

"He hasn't passed the viaduct checkpoint," Madame Hooch said, grimly. "At the speed that he was going, he should have gone past it around ten minutes ago."

"He's not hurt, is he?" Teddy felt worry and fear course through his body.

"That seems to be a logical explanation," Ella muttered under her breath. For the first time, Teddy felt as if Ella wasn't too keen on the conclusion she had reached through the use of her logic. Usually, she was confident, and refused to consider any other possibility aside from the logical one. But now, it seemed as if she was trying to come up with another outcome completely, something that perhaps she couldn't arrive at with deductive reasoning.

Madame Hooch waited until all of the students were back before setting out on her broom to look for Alfie. She gave them very strict instructions to stay on the ground while she was away. The other first-years chatted animatedly among themselves, but Ella and Teddy sat a little further away, rigid. Teddy's mind kept going through worst case scenarios; he kept seeing an injured, unconscious Alfie- hair matted, blood-stained skin, blank eyes. He tried repeatedly to shake the image out of his head, but it didn't budge.

"Look," Ella nudged him suddenly. "Teddy, look!" She pointed to the Quidditch hoops.

Teddy covered his eyes from the sun and strained to look. Two brooms were rapidly coming closer and closer. As they approached, he was able to make out the figures that rode them- one was Madame Hooch, and the other was Alfie, looking dazed, but overall unhurt.

Teddy jumped up and ran over to Alfie as he landed on the ground. He threw his arms around him with such force that Alfie staggered backwards slightly. "I'm so glad you're alright," Teddy mumbled.

"I'm fine," Alfie said, hugging Teddy, clearly touched by his concern. "Thanks mate."

"What happened?" Ella asked, worriedly. She surveyed him carefully. "You don't look hurt."

"Mr. Hayes here got lost," Madame Hooch said, a twinge of irritation staining her voice. She raised her eyebrows at Alfie.

Alfie looked rather sheepish. "I went right instead of left after the greenhouses. Ended up over the Forbidden Forest- and out there, everything looks the same! All those…trees…you know. Thank goodness Madame Hooch found me, or I'd never have gotten out. Never been particularly great at navigation."

"That never occurred to me!" Ella was indignant. "And it's so logical too…Merlin's beard! What is wrong with me?"

"You think she'd show a little more concern for me," Alfie muttered to Teddy.

Ella overheard. "Oh no, oh Alfie, I am concerned!" she patted him on the back gingerly. "Does anything hurt? Can I get you some water? I'm so sorry- I am concerned really, I was just…well…never mind. I do care, really."

Alfie laughed. "I know Ells, don't worry."

"Don't call me Ells," Ella was suddenly stern. "I don't care how shaken or hurt you are, Alfie Hayes, I will slap you."

Teddy and Alfie glanced at each other and burst out into peals of laughter.

"What?" Ella asked. "I will!"

* * *

News of Alfie's escapade travelled fast, and by lunch, he was practically accosted by the rest of the first-years, asking for details about what he'd seen in the Forbidden Forest.

"Were there unicorns?" Cynthia Zhang, a Gryffindor girl asked curiously. "Did you see a centaur? Oh, I've always wanted to see a centaur."

"What about bowtruckles?" Matilda asked, absentmindedly. "Bowtruckles are nice."

"I bet you saw a hippogriff!" Killian Stodd, a Slytherin, said excitedly. "My dad used to work at the Ministry- back in the interwar peace, they had trouble with one of the hippogriffs from here."

Teddy watched on with Ella as the first-years surrounded Alfie, throwing out suppositions and fanciful tales, not giving him a chance to tell the story. "I wonder what's going to happen when they find out that he only saw trees," Teddy whispered to Ella, who nodded in agreement.

"Logically, they'll drop it," she said, calmly. She checked the gold wristwatch on her hand- Teddy had been meaning to ask her whether or not it was real gold, but hadn't quite worked up the nerve yet. "I give it ten minutes."

Surely enough, within ten minutes, Alfie had managed to communicate to his classmates that he hadn't actually seen any fantastical creatures. Their disappointment was clear, and slowly, they moved away, leaving Alfie to his own devices. By the time they reached their last class of the day, Potions, everyone had well and truly forgotten the incident.

"I should have told everyone I saw something," Alfie grumbled, as they waited for Professor Slughorn. "I kind of enjoyed being popular."

"You are popular," Teddy said quickly. "Ella and I like you. That's enough, isn't it?"

Alfie blushed. "Oh, stop it you two."

Teddy grinned to himself. He knew it was cheesy, sure, but he didn't care. Friendship had always meant a lot to him, and it always would, especially when he didn't have a proper family to speak of. He loved his grandmother, but she was one where there should have been more.

He absentmindedly doodled on the pages of his potions textbook, lost in the swirls of thought. He completely missed Professor Slughorn's entrance, erratic apology for being late, and instructions to the class. It was only when Ella began reaching into her bag for ingredients that he realized that he had completely zoned out.

"What're we supposed to do?" he tentatively asked her, bracing for a lecture.

Ella exhaled dramatically. "Don't you listen, Teddy? We're making an enlarging potion."

"_Again!?" _Professor Slughorn had forced them to make enlarging potions all of last week, and Teddy was completely and utterly _sick _of them. He'd managed to perfect one the previous Friday, and Professor Slughorn had offloaded so much praise onto him that he had been sure that he wouldn't have to ever make that stupid potion again- unless of course it came up in the exam.

_There is no way I'm doing this_, he thought to himself, flicking through the pages of his potions book. He had yet to tackle most of the potions listed in the textbook and was wishing that they would move on, so that he'd have a chance to do so, when he came across a most curious finding. A singing potion.

"When ingested, the potion will cause loud, melodic singing," he read to himself. It looked fairly simple, and the ingredients were similar to those for the enlarging potion- there were only a few, minor differences. And it looked incredibly similar too- it had that same, lilac tone, the same gentle smoke. _Well, it wouldn't hurt to try something new now, would it?_

He thought quickly, diving into his bag and running to the supply cupboard to retrieve the ingredients he'd need. Alfie was too consumed by his own potion-making to bother, but Ella eyed him curiously. "I hope you know you're picking up the wrong ingredients."

"Sorry?"

"We don't need a siren's throat for the enlarging potion," she said, matter-of-factly. "You'll have to go back to the cupboard and swap it."

Teddy shrugged. "I'm not making an enlarging potion."

Ella's eyes widened in shock, her hazel eyes popping. "But Professor Slughorn _said_…"

"I know, I know," Teddy said, waving his hands to placate her. "I just…don't feel like making one. I know I can do it, I managed fine last time."

"Yes Teddy, but you need to follow instructions!"

"Never really been one for instructions." Andromeda could vouch for that. When he was little, he'd never listened to her strict rules about not putting fingerprints on the windows, or sticking play-dough on the walls, or playing with the neighbour's kittens without permission. Disobeying the last rule had landed him with tears and a large scratch from the kittens' mother.

He still had the scar. Yet it clearly hadn't taught him anything.

Ella, in the meantime, was trying desperately to find flaws with Teddy's plan, feeling that it was her responsibility as a friend, to keep him out of trouble. She would soon learn, Teddy thought, that if he wanted to do something troublesome, no one would be able to stop him. "When we have to give our vials in, yours will have your name on it. And then when Professor Slughorn gives it to the frog to drink, and the frog starts singing instead of growing larger, he'll know you made the wrong potion!"

"Then I won't put my name on it," Teddy was determined to find flaws in whatever Ella said.

"Then he'll still know it's you, because you'll be the only one without your name on a vial!"

"And that's where you're going to help me," Teddy said, a new, clever idea suddenly entering his mind. "You're going to give me some of your potion, I'll add a few extra ingredients…you know, mess it up a little. Then, I'll hand that in with my name on it, and hand the singing potion in in a different vial."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"What's going on?" Alfie peered over curiously from his cauldron.

"Teddy's trying to break rules!" Ella exclaimed. Teddy quickly checked around to see if anyone had heard- he would _kill _Ella if she ruined his plan- but no one had.

"Do tell," Alfie said, intrigued. Teddy explained the entire plan to him, ignoring Ella shaking her head condescendingly. After he was done, Alfie turned to Ella, impressed. "You gotta help him."

"What!? Not you too!"

"Please Ella," Teddy begged. "Please!"

"Use Alfie's potion!"

"My potion made the frog vomit uncontrollably last time," Alfie looked green himself at the memory. "Yeah, we're not using mine."

"Please Ella, come on!" Teddy morphed his eyes into a puppy-dog gaze.

Ella looked at him firmly for about ten seconds, before she relented. "Fine," she said. "Fine, I'll help you. But if you get in trouble…you don't bring up my name."

"Deal," Teddy said, resisting the urge to hug her. "You're the best."

"Yes, I am," Ella said firmly. "You should be glad you've got such a great friend."

"I am," Teddy said, sincerely.

He spent the rest of the lesson carefully reading instructions, chopping and adding ingredients and stirring the potion. Potion-making was an exact science, and something he'd never really expected to be good at, not with his clumsiness. At the beginning of the year, he'd started off accidentally knocking things into his cauldron (including a pair of Ella's glasses), and forever adding too much of an ingredient. Slowly, he'd learned how to be more precise- after all, his mother was just as clumsy as he was, and was reportedly, and excellent potion maker. There was no reason he shouldn't be just as good, if not better.

By the end of the one and a half hours, his potion was exactly the right shade of lilac that it needed to be. Gentle smoke wafted up from the simmering surface of the liquid. Teddy poured some into a glass vial and then cleared his cauldron. He used a ladle to transfer a bit of Ella's enlargement potion into his own cauldron, and then sprinkled a few extra giant's toe clippings into the mixture. He poured this into another vial, and stuck a label with his name onto it.

"Right then, time's up!" Professor Slughorn clapped his hands from behind his table at the front of the dank, dungeon room. Although the dungeon was dark and damp, Slughorn had done his best to add some light to the room by adding colorful rugs and portraits of famous wizards that Professor Slughorn apparently counted as his 'closest friends' to the walls. Teddy stared at a couple of the portraits as he walked up to Slughorn's table and covertly slipped both vials onto the surface behind a Ravenclaw boy. He then slinked back to his desk.

He waited, on edge, as Professor Slughorn tested the potions on a frog. He reassured them that the appropriate spells and charms had been put on the amphibian to ensure that no harm came to it. "Remember," Slughorn wagged his finger at the class. "Never hurt an animal. They've got feelings too."

Most of the class had managed to produce a decent enlarging potion- Teddy wasn't surprised. After all this practice, he would have been shocked if less than half of the them had managed to make the frog swell up to twice its original size. Ella had managed to perfect the potion, and was lauded by Slughorn. The potion that Teddy had given in was fairly good, but the potions Professor was slightly disappointed.

"It's not quite as good as the one you turned in last week, my boy," Slughorn commented, shaking his head. "Look," he brandished a ruler. "Several centimetres too tall."

"Sorry Professor Slughorn," Teddy said, earnestly. He felt almost as if he was apologising for the trick he'd played, as well as the sub-par potion.

"Not to fret, Mr. Lupin," Slughorn chuckled, a low sound emitted from the back of his throat. "We all have our off days."

Alfie's potion- thankfully- did not cause the frog to break out into spurts of vomiting, but rather to swell to thrice it's normal size. Despite the incorrect size, Professor Slughorn patted a very chuffed Alfie on the back. "Not bad my boy, not bad."

Finally, there was only one, tiny glass vial lying on the rugged, wooden surface that was Slughorn's desk. Teddy watched, palms sweaty and heart pounding, as the professor clasped the vial in a large, wrinkled hand. Slughorn turned the glass around in his hand, eyes searching for a label, a mark.

"It appears someone has forgotten to put their name on their vial," he said slowly. To Teddy, it seemed that Slughorn was expecting one of the students to run forward, hand waving in the air to collect the vial. Teddy stayed frozen, his feet glued to the ground, ignoring the pointed look that Ella was giving him. Slughorn looked around the room, curiously. "No takers?"

When, again, no one moved, Slughorn shrugged. "Well, we'll test it anyway."

Teddy was barely breathing as Slughorn moved towards the frog. He desperately wanted this to work- there would have been no point whatsoever if it didn't. He felt his hair start to change colour, and quickly shook it back to turquoise before anyone could notice. A change in hair shade would be a certain giveaway.

The frog swallowed the potion. Slughorn moved away, expecting the frog to begin to swell, but it didn't. Instead, it let out a loud, reverberating croak.

Teddy felt his heart sink. It hadn't worked. _I should have stuck to the instructions, _he thought. _What made me think that I'd be able to make this without any kind of help_. He bit his lip and looked at the floor, disappointment coursing through his veins. _Great_.

Suddenly, the frog hopped so it was facing the class, rather than Professor Slughorn. It looked up at the students and then let out a loud, high trill.

Teddy looked at Ella and Alfie in amazement, unable to believe that it had worked. The first-years dissolved into uncontrollable laughter as the frog began to belt out opera, as if it didn't know how to do anything else. The recital went on for around three minutes, and by the end of it, Matthew Rivers had collapsed on the floor, he was laughing so hard. Even Professor Slughorn, much to Teddy's amazement and relief, was chuckling jovially. Teddy had been scared that the professor would have been angry, but he didn't seem to be.

"Alright, alright," Professor Slughorn attempted to calm the students, who'd erupted into applause, down. "Yes, it was very funny, very funny indeed. Would anyone like to own up to this little trick?"

Everyone immediately went silent. No one said a word. Teddy glanced at his shoes, unwilling to admit that he was the culprit responsible.

Slughorn waited patiently, but when it became clear that no one was willing to take the blame, he simply sighed. "Alright then. Not a problem. Off you go."

Teddy shuffled out of the dungeon uncomfortably. He knew that he should own up- what if Slughorn blamed another student and that other student got into trouble? He wouldn't be able to live with himself, the guilt would be too much. He knew it seemed like such a trivial matter, but his conscience was bothering him.

He was just a little way away from the dungeon when he stopped suddenly.

"Is everything okay?" Ella asked him.

"Yeah…yeah," Teddy said, a little absentmindedly. "I think I…er, forgot something in class. I'll see you guys later, yeah?"

* * *

"Professor Slughorn?" Teddy knocked tentatively on the heavy dungeon door. Slughorn looked up from the papers he was writing on his desk.

"Ah, Mr. Lupin. Come in, come in," he gestured enthusiastically, dropping his quill onto the table, and shifting himself out from behind it. He walked quite slowly- age and weight acting as the anchors that prevented him from moving at a normal speed. "What can I do for you, my boy?"

"I just…I…I wanted to tell you…I…um," Teddy took a deep breath and closed his eyes. _Come on, Teddy. You can do this_. "I was the one who made the…singing potion." He finished and braced himself for impact. He was scared that Slughorn had been internally angry about the incident and was about to take out that rage on him.

Slughorn merely chuckled. "Ah. I suspected it was you. You or Miss Anderson- the only potioneers in my class capable of brewing such a potion." Glancing at Teddy's shocked expression, he smiled. "Not to worry, you aren't in trouble. I suppose, in a way, I am impressed- although you shouldn't make a habit of not following instructions."

"Yes Professor," Teddy said, meekly.

"So tell me. You wouldn't have had time to make both an enlarging and a singing potion. How did you do it?"

"I, er, had some leftover enlarging potion from last lesson," Teddy lied through his teeth, not wanting to implicate Ella. "I handed that it, with a few extra ingredients sprinkled on top."

"Very clever, Mr. Lupin, indeed," Professor Slughorn nodded. He paused for a few minutes, thinking. "Mr. Lupin," he began.

"Yes, sir?"

"I'm throwing a little Hallowe'en party for some…select students," Slughorn said, with a smile. "Perhaps you would like to come?"

Teddy was taken aback. Of all the things he had expected Professor Slughorn to say, an invitation to a party was not one of them. "S..sure, sir."

Slughorn beamed. "Excellent. And perhaps you could extend my invitation to Miss Anderson too. Both of you may each bring a guest."

"Of course sir. Thank you sir."

Slughorn nodded slowly at Teddy. "You're such a clever boy, Mr. Lupin. You clearly take after your parents."

"You knew my parents, sir?" Teddy said, eagerly. "Did you teach them?"

"Remus, yes. Such a bright boy…did very well in his potions N.E.W.T., made some excellent antidotes. Nymphadora, no- she was taught by Professor Snape- no doubt you'll have heard of Professor Snape- but I got to know her very well when she was stationed in Hogsmeade by the Order, during the Second War." Slughorn paused, as if he was debating whether or not to continue speaking. Teddy waited. "Their deaths were the ones I regret the most."

"If you'll forgive me sir," Teddy said, confused. "You sound like you were involved in their deaths."

"Ah, Mr. Lupin," Slughorn smiled ruefully. "Weren't we all?"

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update! School's starting back up, so I have less free time to write. I'll try to update as regularly as possible, but I may get late every now and then. Thank you all for your lovely reviews, favourites and follows! They mean a lot and I'm still in shock that this story now has more than fifty reviews!

So which of the four scenes in this chapter did you like the best and why? And also- (I'm quite curious about this one)- do you have a favourite line so far from the story (doesn't necessarily have to be from this chapter)? What is it? I look forward to hearing from you guys!


	8. Chapter 8: Recall (Poison)

**Chapter Eight: Recall (Poison)**

The trophy room was perhaps the brightest room that Teddy had ever seen. The light bounced off each glimmering, golden surface, making the space seem as if it was filled with jewels and precious metals. At first, it captivated Teddy, but soon enough, the gold began to hurt his eyes, and he began to get a rather painful headache, which was only exacerbated by Filch's constant muttering.

The caretaker had clearly never heard of silent punishment. All he'd done since he met Teddy and Terence outside the Great Hall to lead them to the trophy room so they could serve their detention was grumble about something or the other. First, it had been punishment.

"They don't let me hit ya," he muttered angrily as he strode in front of them, his 'devil cat', as Teddy liked to call Mrs. Norris by his side. Apparently, it wasn't the same Mrs. Norris that had prowled the corridors during his godfather's Hogwarts days- instead it was some other, equally evil spawn that Filch had picked up somewhere. "Oh they used ta let me, back in the day. Nothing did the trick better than a couple of good whippings. All stopped, of course."

Teddy's eyes widened. He was glad that Hogwarts had done away with _that _punishment- compared to a couple of whip lashes, the prospect of cleaning the trophies in the vast room sounded much more appealing. He wondered if his grandmother had attended Hogwarts while physical punishment was still allowed. She wasn't _that _old though- only fifty-six. He resolved to ask her anyway.

Filch gave the boys a long lecture on what to do. Clean the trophies. Make them shine. Use elbow grease. _No magic_. Lupin, to the left of the room, Gates, to the right. Be quick about it.

"I will be right back," he wagged his finger threateningly at them. "No one leaves this room. And _no talking!_" He limped out of the room, hands shaking, hunched over. Mrs. Norris looked up at the boys with piercing, golden-red eyes and let out a high-pitched yowl, before slinking away to join her master. Teddy had always hated cats, and felt a strong urge to throw something at her.

He picked up a rag and a can of polish from the supply cupboard in the corner of the room, and set to work.

Scrubbing trophies took energy, but it wasn't a particularly interesting and engaging activity. Not even considering the prospect of talking to Terence, Teddy drifted into his thoughts, focusing on what Slughorn had said to him back when he had confessed to deliberately making the wrong potion.

"_Ah, Mr. Lupin. Weren't we all?" _

He puzzled over those words. Slughorn wasn't a former Death Eater, nor was he a member of the Order of the Phoenix- at least, as far as Teddy knew. What had he done that made him feel responsible? What had happened that he felt _everyone _was responsible?

_Weren't we all? _

"Oi, Lupin," Terence yelled from across the room. Teddy turned around with a start. "Could you pass me a rag?"

Teddy tossed him a piece of cloth. _You could have said please_.

"Thanks," Terence said. Teddy, looking in the other direction, raised his eyebrows.

"Not a problem," he muttered.

They worked in silence, slowly moving closer to one another as they both approached centre from their opposite sides of the room. Teddy chose to ignore Terence, focusing instead on the golden trophies and the names engraved on them. A few were familiar, most were not.

He had just started applying polish to a particularly worn trophy when it slipped out of his hand and clattered to the floor. Terence whipped around with a start, and stayed facing Teddy, realizing that he had new material to taunt him with. "Butterfingers, eh, Lupin?"

"Shut up," Teddy mumbled, his hair and cheeks turning a bright, fire-red.

Terence raised an eyebrow, and began walking over to Teddy. "What, is that the butterfingers morph mode? Bright red hair? Do you do that on purpose?"

"No," Teddy muttered. "It's automatic. I can't control it."

"Can't, or don't want to?" Terence pouted.

"Shut _up_, Gates," Teddy exploded. "You're not interested, I know you're not. I'm perfectly content to leave you alone, if you leave me alone. Clear?"

Terence shrugged, apparently unfazed by Teddy's outburst. "Clear. But first, let's see whose trophy you've put a few scratches on." He leaned forward and grabbed the metal sculpture out from beneath Teddy's nose. Teddy watched Terence with disdain.

_I will not react, I will not react, I will not react. _Reaction would only prompt Terence to continue his little charade of taunting. Reaction hadn't worked the first time, nor would it work the second, or the third. Teddy inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly, trying his best to maintain his composure.

For someone who was so easily able to change his outward appearance, concealing and changing his inner emotions was unusually hard. It seemed to run in the family; Andromeda had always said that his mother had usually worn her heart on her sleeve, her emotions plain for everyone with eyes to see. His father had been the only one who'd been blind, at first.

"Special Services to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Terence read out, in a sing-song voice. "Awarded to…" his voice faltered as his eyes skimmed over the engraved words on the slick metal.

"To who?" Teddy asked, his curiosity sparked.

"No one," Terence mumbled.

"No one?"

"Leave it alone, Lupin."

"But…"

"I said, leave it alone!"

"What's this, what's this?" Filch had skulked back into the trophy room, his voice dripping with malice. Both boys quickly shut up. "I thought I said no talking."

"Y-yes sir," Terence said, stuttering. He put the trophy down and shuffled to his corner of the room, determined not to get into Filch's bad books.

Filch ignored him completely. Instead, he walked towards Teddy, squinting into his eyes. Teddy tried to suppress the shudder that ran through his body, and averted his eyes from Filch's icy stare. "S'pose it was you that started it," he lifted his index finger and held it between Teddy's eyes. "You Metamorphmaguses. More trouble than you're worth, walking around, changing your faces like you own the world. The last one we had…oh, the last one, had her in the eighties, she was always sneaking out after hours, doing whatever she wanted and I could never catch her, just because her face was different." Filch paused. "Perhaps you knew her."

The wheels clicked in Teddy's mind- Metamorphamagi were rare. The last one that Hogwarts had was a female, who attended the school in the eighties. His mother. He was about to lunge for Filch, when the caretaker shuffled away, looking awfully pleased with himself.

_He'd get along well with Terence_, Teddy thought, his face contorting with disgust.

The trophy that Teddy had dropped lay abandoned on the floor. Teddy picked it up gingerly when Terence wasn't looking, and placed it back on the shelf. He surreptitiously glanced at the name engraved on the plaque.

_Edward Gates._

* * *

"It was awful, I'm telling you," Teddy complained to Alfie and Ella as they made their way across the Hogwarts courtyard. The sun had finally revealed itself from its' hiding place behind the clouds, and was dousing the Hogwarts grounds with unusual warmth. The trio had wanted to take advantage of the weather during their lunch break, and had hence gathered up sandwiches from the Great Hall and brought them outside, into the grass. Usually, they wouldn't have been allowed to leave the first-year table, but Professor Longbottom- who wanted to enjoy the fresh air himself- gave any students who wanted to sit outside special permission. He himself was patrolling the courtyard, making sure everyone stayed in line.

"It couldn't have been that bad," Ella said simply, as they sat down on the grass. "It was just a detention."

"Just a detention _with Terence_," Alfie corrected, chomping on a chicken sandwich. "Don't underestimate how bad that can be…" he swallowed, and grinned. "Ells."

"_Am I going to have to slap you_?" Ella said sharply.

Alfie's grin vanished. "No! No! Of course not!"

Teddy watched his friends with a smile. Their banter was his main source of amusement here at Hogwarts- he loved the conflict between Ella's sharp side and Alfie's light, fun-loving side. Yet, as he thought back on recent events, he realized something didn't quite add up.

"I don't get it," Teddy looked up at Ella, confused. "You're so…you know…fierce and you stick up for what you know's right."

"Thank you," Ella blushed.

"I wasn't done," Teddy said, a little more bluntly than he would have liked. Ella's blush disappeared and she peered up at Teddy, her hazel eyes squinting in concentration. "How come you weren't more fierce when Terence and I were having that little showdown in the corridor?"

"Oh that. Well, I couldn't have won that battle," Ella said, simply. "There was no apparent logic behind how Terence was acting, so there was no way of counteracting it. I'm not very confident in situations where I know I can't win." She shrugged. "I thought that was logical. Why would anyone embroil themselves in something they know they can't come out of winning?"

Alfie and Teddy exchanged a look. At first, Teddy didn't really understand what she meant, but he soon realized. It made sense, he supposed. After all, who would want to fight a losing battle? He knew he wouldn't- although he had to admit that he sometimes found himself embroiled in them, especially with his grandmother. But at the same time, he found that he didn't completely agree with Ella's reasoning. Why shouldn't you stand up for what you think is right, even if you're going to lose?

Instead of engaging in a heavy, philosophical debate, Teddy decided to change the subject back to his detention. "Anyway, like I was saying earlier, detention was pretty miserable. Cleaning out the entire trophy room- without magic! Can you imagine? Plus, something pretty weird happened."

"What?" Alfie was instantly curious. Ella put her sandwich down, listening intently.

"I dropped a trophy," Teddy began.

"That's hardly weird, mate," Alfie interrupted. "You're always dropping things." Ella giggled. Teddy shot them both a glare.

"That wasn't what was weird," he said. "What was weird was Terence was taunting me- you know how he is- and then he picked up the trophy and read out what was engraved on it. It was an award for Special Services to Hogwarts, but he suddenly stopped at the name and became all defensive when I tried to ask him about it."

"That's odd," Ella said, puzzled. "Did you read the name afterwards?"

"Yeah," Teddy nodded. "Edward Gates."

"Probably a relation of some sort then," Alfie said. "I mean, same last name, so it's logical…_oh Merlin! _Did I just say it's logical? Goodness, Ella, you're rubbing off on me."

Teddy chuckled. Ella nodded approvingly. "Some logic will do you good, Alfie. And yes, I agree with you. Probably some relation." She paused briefly. "You don't suppose…it's his grandfather? Was there a date on the trophy?"

"Er, yeah, 1952, I think," Teddy said. "Are you thinking it's his grandfather because…"

"He's a Muggleborn and we hypothesized that Terence didn't have a good relationship with his grandfather, which derives from Terence's views on Muggleborns?" Ella asked.

"Yeah," Teddy said. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

Alfie shrugged. "It's possible."

"As weird as it is, I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway," Ella said, taking another bite of her sandwich. "Interesting detention you had- not awful, but interesting."

"I think it was pretty awful," Teddy said.

"No it wasn't," Ella replied, calmly. "Have you never read about what happened to kids at Hogwarts when the Death Eaters had control of the school?"

"Death Eaters?" Alfie sounded shocked. "W-what are _Death Eaters_? Good lord, they don't…you know, eat dead people or anything like that?" He put his sandwich down, clearly turned off.

"Death Eaters were Voldemort's followers during the Wizarding Wars," Teddy told him, trying to hide his uneasiness. "You remember who Voldemort is?"

"Yeah- evil guy, dark wizard, was the baddie in the war. Kind of a Hitler equivalent?"

"Who?" Teddy had never heard of this Hitler before; he just stared at Alfie, cluelessly.

"Yes, Alfie, that's right," Ella sighed. "And Teddy- you really should read more as well! Hitler was like the Voldemort of the Second World War, which was a Muggle war fought in 1940's. Goodness gracious me, you two really need to brush up on your general knowledge, it's awful!" she shuddered. "Anyway, as I was saying, when the Death Eaters had control of Hogwarts, they used to use this curse on students. I forget what it's called…it's unforgivable, it causes great pain, it's like torture…crucil? Crucatus?"

"The Cruciatus curse," Teddy said quietly.

"Yes, that's it. Good, you do know something."

"They used to use it on students?" Teddy asked, horrified.

Ella nodded. "Awful, isn't it?"

Teddy said nothing; he stared down at the sandwich in his hand. Suddenly, he wasn't hungry anymore.

"Was that even legal?" Alfie asked, surprised.

"The Death Eaters had control of the Ministry of Magic too, so they could make it legal," Ella shook her head sadly. "Can you imagine? The cruelty!"

_Students_, Teddy thought. _They used it on students. The Cruciatus curse, the unforgivable curse_. _Subjected eleven to seventeen year-olds to it_. The bile built in his stomach, swishing uncomfortably, acid burning a hole. He abruptly got up. "I need to go," he told an astonished Ella and Alfie. He didn't give them time to ask any questions- he just ran, across the courtyard and into an empty corridor.

He didn't see Professor Longbottom follow him.

"Teddy?" Professor Longbottom asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Teddy whirled around, his eyes staring straight into Professor Longbottom's. "They used the Cruciatus curse on students," the horror was plain in his voice. "Did you know that?"

Professor Longbottom flinched, as if someone had hit him unexpectedly. "As a matter of fact," he said quietly. "I did." He paused, as if unsure how to continue, as if unsure _whether _to continue. Teddy waited, intently, intensely, knowing that there was more coming. "I was one of the students they used it on."

Teddy gaped. "What?"

"Repeatedly," Professor Longbottom nodded. "I suppose they thought it was ironic."

"Sorry?"

"Never mind," the professor shook himself out of the horrendous memory and focused on Teddy. "I didn't know that you knew about the curse, Teddy. It certainly is…perhaps…not exactly age-appropriate."

"I'm not supposed to know," Teddy admitted. "I kind of…found out by accident."

"How?"

"Promise you won't tell?"

Professor Longbottom smiled. "I promise."

Teddy took a deep breath and lapsed into the story.

* * *

He was six years old, and was staying the night at Uncle Harry's. He snuck down in the middle of the night to get some water. As he approached the kitchen, he saw his godfather talking to Uncle Ron about the war, about nightmares, about something called the Cruciatus curse.

He'd asked what the Cruciatus curse was. Harry and Ron had stared at him, unaware he had been listening.

He hadn't gotten a reply.

Four years later, his grandmother had been talking to Aunt Ginny in their living room, late at night. Teddy, unable to sleep, for the full-moon was almost upon them, slunk down the stairs and hid around the corner, listening in intently.

What he had learned would never leave him.

"I still dream about the Cruciatus curse," Andromeda said, in a low whisper. "The burning, maddening pain…Ted's screams, my screams. It's only a wonder they didn't kill us then."

"I can't imagine how you resisted," Ginny murmured, taking a sip from the cup of tea she grasped in her hands.

"I don't even know how I did it myself," Andromeda muttered. "All I knew was that I had to hold out, for Nymphadora, for Ted, even for little Teddy who hadn't even been born then. Oh god, Nymphadora."

Teddy heard the quiver in his grandmother's voice. He had the feeling that he should leave, that he shouldn't hear what was coming next, but his feet remained firmly rooted to the ground.

"She got it more times than I did," Andromeda said, softly. "Again and again, and by Bellatrix too. Bellatrix hated her…just because of what I did, all those years ago. The force of the curse depends on who's casting it, on the hatred they feel. Can you imagine how powerful it must have been against Dora? She was always strong, yes, but that…no one can resist that, especially coupled with the pain she must have felt when she saw Remus killed, right in front of her eyes. I don't blame her for giving in. I would've too. I almost did give in," she was on the verge of tears. "But I was in control, and I had to save myself. For Teddy."

Teddy started up the stairs, shaken. That night, he had a nightmare- one that would never leave him. Bellatrix, that madwoman he'd seen in the _Daily Prophet _every now and then, so similar-looking, yet so different from his grandmother, torturing his mother, eliciting screams that occasionally haunted him even while he was conscious. His father hearing the screams and running, coming face to face with Dolohov. The duel. A flash of green light. An anguished scream. Another flash. Crumpling bodies.

The clarity of the dreams, the vividness…it was almost as if he'd been there.

Andromeda still didn't know that he knew. She maintained that his mother had died a clean death, even though he knew she hadn't. He understood she was trying to protect him, but sometimes, he wondered how much she was withholding from him, about his parents, about that night. He didn't know that much about their relationship- only that they'd met through the Order of the Phoenix, had a little trouble at the beginning, but then had gotten over it, gotten married and had him.

* * *

Professor Longbottom listened patiently. "Some things are better not known until a certain point," he said to Teddy, when he was done. "But you know now, and nothing's going to change that. Your grandmother is trying to protect you Teddy- she'll reveal everything in time. But until then, please know that you can come to me. Whenever you need. After all, I do have my own experience with the curse."

Teddy smiled. "Thank you, Professor."

As he watched Professor Longbottom walk away, Teddy couldn't shake the feeling that there was something that Professor Longbotttom wasn't telling him.

* * *

The night of Slughorn's Halloween party came quickly. Teddy had passed on Slughorn's invitation to Ella, who'd only been too excited. Quickly noticing Alfie's downcast expression, Teddy had invited Alfie as his plus one. Ella considered inviting Michael or Matilda, but Slughorn had already invited both.

A few days before Halloween, Slughorn heaved his way to Teddy, Alfie and Ella's bench during potions and advised them to dress up for the party. "I like a good costume party," Slughorn winked. "I suppose you've got your costumes all ready."

"Er, not really sir," Teddy said, tentatively.

"Why, my boy! I informed you about the costume rule last week."

"'Fraid not sir. You must've forgotten."

"Oh dear- well, that is quite possible. But I'm sure that three intelligent students such as yourselves will manage to whip something up."

Teddy and Alfie had been beside themselves. "I didn't bring any costumes!" Alfie exclaimed. "What am I going to do? I mean, I suppose I could just wear my robes and dress up as a Hogwarts student but…well, that's boring! At least you can morph, Teddy."

"Would you two calm down?" Ella said, grumpily. "We'll figure something out. I didn't bring any fancy dress clothes with me either- but do you see me freaking out?"

In the end, they decided to dress up as characters from Arthurian legend. Alfie went as King Arthur, wearing a crown Ella had borrowed from one of the other Ravenclaw's and holding a sword and shield that he'd borrowed from a friendly suit of armour on the second floor of the East staircase. Teddy used his Metamorphmagus skills to morph an impressive, long, white beard, wore his robes and went as Merlin.

Ella's outfit had been the most surprising. She'd written home the night that Slughorn had asked them to dress up, and had received a package in the mail the day of the party. "Oh perfect, _perfect_!" she had exclaimed. "This is going to look excellent- as long as it fits."

"As long as what fits?" Alfie whispered to Teddy. Teddy shrugged. He wasn't really focused- he himself had received a letter- a reply from Victoire and Dominique. He'd written the previous week- a letter detailing the incident in potions and his invitation to Slughorn's party, as well as his detention.

_Dear Teddy, _Victoire wrote.

_That sounds awful! Cleaning the trophy room- ugh! I wish I could have helped you with it in some way, but then again, I can't even keep my own room clean._

_I'm glad you're having fun at Hogwarts though. I've been sneakily telling mum (who's talking to me again, thank goodness!) and dad all about your adventures (except the stuff that you wouldn't want me talking about), making them sound as amazing as possible, just so they'll send me there. Mum's acting like she's given up the fight, but I know she's just biding her time. She got a letter from the headmistress of Beauxbatons the other day- I wasn't supposed to see, but I did. _

_The Hallowe'en party sounds great. I'm going trick-or-treating with Dominique on the 31__st__- Aunty Gabrielle's coming over from France to stay for a while, so she's going to take us. As you suggested, I'll be dressing up as a lion to remind dad of his fabulous Gryffindor past. More sneaky manipulation- you really are the master, aren't you? I wonder if I'll be in Gryffindor if I do come to Hogwarts…I wouldn't mind too much, but I'd much rather be in Hufflepuff with you. _

_Anyway, I've got to go now, because dad's calling me for dinner. Mum's gone out with some friends of hers, so dad's done the cooking. I cannot possibly tell you how excited I am (that was sarcasm in case you couldn't tell- we all know dad can't cook. I'm so jealous of you- your gran came over the other day bearing some delicious roast chicken). _

_Love,_

_Victoire._

_PS: WRITE SUPER SOON OR I'LL SEND YOU A HOWLER. _

Dominique had enclosed a crayon drawing of a pumpkin field with a 'Happy Halloween' caption. She'd scribbled a short letter on the back of the piece of paper.

_Dear Teddy,_

_Glad you are having fun at Hoggwarts._

_Say hi to your freinds for me. I hope they are being nice to you._

_I am going as an angel for Halloween trick-or-treating with Vic and Aunty Gabriele. What are you going as?_

_Love,_

_Nikki._

After the full-school Halloween feast, they'd all run up to their dormitories to get changed for the party. Alfie and Teddy didn't take long, and ran over to the base of Ravenclaw tower to wait for Ella.

"She's taking _ages_," Teddy mumbled.

"Maybe whatever she got in the mail didn't fit," Alfie suggested.

"Oh no, it fit perfectly, actually," a voice sounded from behind them. Teddy whipped around and gasped, amazed.

"Where did you get that?" he asked. "I thought you didn't bring any fancy dress clothing with you!"

"I didn't," Ella grinned. She was wearing a long, shimmery purple dress, with floaty blue, lace sleeves. Her hair had been curled and a few locks on the side pinned back. Even her face looked different- Teddy realized that she was wearing light make-up. "It came in the mail this morning. My parents sent it along."

"Oh," Teddy nodded slowly.

"You look great," Alfie said with a grin.

"Thank you Alfie," Ella curtseyed.

"Who are you supposed to be, exactly?" Teddy asked, curiously.

Ella rolled her eyes. "Goodness, Teddy, I would have thought it's obvious! You're Merlin, Alfie's King Arthur…who's left?"

"Guinevere?"

"No! Well…yes, but I'm not her. I'm Morgana! Morgan le Fay!" She twirled around. "What do you think?"

"You look lovely- that dress is amazing!" Teddy said. "But wasn't she evil?"

"She _became_ evil, yes," Ella explained. "I'm her before she became evil. There's this show that was on last year called Merlin- it's got Morgana before she was evil. I'm wearing the same dress she wears in the first episode."

"The very same?" Alfie gaped.

"Not the very same, of course! It would be much too big! It's a replica."

"Well, either way, you're still my arch-nemesis!" Teddy exclaimed, smiling. "What say you we get to the party before all the food runs out?"

"Teddy! You can't possibly still be hungry! You stuffed yourself at the feast."

"Merlin has a bottomless stomach. Merlin can eat whatever and how much ever he wants."

"Oh shut up."

* * *

Teddy barely recognized the potions room when he walked in- all the cauldron stands, tables and chairs had been removed, as had the lively decorations on the wall. Instead, the room had reverted back to its original state, clearly part of the Hogwarts dungeons. Slughorn had lit the room using medieval lanterns, casting an eerie glow across the rocky space. There were cobwebs (fake ones, Teddy hoped) draped across the walls, and skulls (again, Teddy hoped they were fake) hanging from the ceiling.

However, the dank setting contrasted greatly with the jovial attitude of the host. "Welcome, welcome!" Slughorn said enthusiastically, as he waddled over to greet the three first-years. "So glad you could make it." He stepped back and surveyed their costumes. "Merlin and Arthur, clearly," he said to Teddy and Alfie, who nodded. "Very clever, very clever. I have to admit, Mr. Lupin, I was very curious to see how you'd use your morphing abilities to aid your costume. And Miss Anderson, you my dear, must be Guinevere, if you've kept with the theme."

"I'm Morgan le Fay," Ella corrected. Teddy could sense her inner exasperation. "Before she went evil."

"Ah," Slughorn raised his bushy, grey eyebrows. "An interesting choice of character, I must say. Very interesting. Either way, it seems Arthurian legend is very popular tonight. Why, that young Goshawk boy, what's his name…"

"Michael," Teddy prompted.

"Ah yes, Michael. Why, I do believe I see him. Michael!"

Michael, dressed in his usual Slytherin robes, quickly marched forward. "Yes, Professor Slughorn, sir?"

"Just thought you might be interested in seeing the costumes of your fellow students, my dear boy," Slughorn patted him on the back.

Michael scanned Alfie, Teddy and Ella. Teddy himself scanned Michael, trying to figure out who he was dressed as. "You're Merlin," Michael finally said to Teddy. "The beard gave it away. I'm him too- just from when he was younger. He was in Slytherin, you know."

"Oh really? I didn't…"

"And you must be King Arthur of course," Michael interrupted, pointing at Alfie. "And you're…Guinevere?"

Ella rolled her eyes and exhaled dramatically. "Morgana. I'm Morgan le Fay. Before she was evil."

"Oh," Michael said, nonchalantly. "Was she in Slytherin too?"

"Ah, I'm afraid not," Slughorn intervened. "Morgan le Fay was a Ravenclaw, just like Miss Anderson here. She was a highly intelligent witch- at first, all she wanted was knowledge. But knowledge is a dangerous thing- she simply chose to use it for the wrong purposes. To put it in your terms, she puts the 'genius' in 'evil genius'".

Slughorn chuckled loudly. The four first-years just looked at him, a little dumbfounded- Teddy actually hadn't realized that Slughorn had been joking. He certainly hadn't found it very funny.

Slughorn cleared his throat. "Well then, I'll be along," he smiled jovially at the first-years. "You have fun now! Feel free to help yourself to snacks as you wish- just stay away from the punch over there," he pointed to a red jug on a table in the corner of the room. "A little too…spicy for you."

"Spicy?" Michael asked. "I can handle spicy!"

"I'm afraid not this kind of spicy, Mr. Goshawk," Slughorn laughed. "You'll understand someday." With that, he drifted away, engaging in conversation with a tall, sixth-year Slytherin prefect.

"How many different kinds of spicy are there?" Michael wondered out loud, brow furrowing.

"I don't think he literally meant spicy," Ella said, contemplatively. "Either way, where's your sister Michael?"

"Oh, around, around," Michael gestured loosely. "You can go look for her if you want. I'm going to talk to Randall, do you know Randall?" He didn't wait for their replies. "He's a Prefect, you know, it's looking like he's going to be Head Boy next year! His family knows mine very well. There he is! Randall!"

"Does his family know everyone's family?" Alfie mumbled.

"Dunno," Teddy shrugged. "Maybe. Loads of the old Wizarding families are good friends with one another." His grandmother had described the intertwined nature of the old, pure-blood families. Their strong desire to maintain blood purity scared Teddy and he was glad that his grandmother had long since cut ties with her family and that the notion of pure-blood superiority barely existed any more. "Better find Matilda," he changed the subject. "She'll be all alone- she didn't bring a plus one, did she?"

Ella shook her head. "Apparently she asked Daisy, but Daisy said no because she was so miffed that she hadn't been invited on her own accord."

"How _does _Slughorn choose which students he's going to invite?" Alfie asked.

"Maybe you've got to be good at potions," Ella suggested.

"I don't think so," a quiet voice came from behind them. Teddy turned suddenly to see Matilda Goshawk, wearing a white dress and rabbit ears. Instead of them finding her, she had found them. "I'm not very good at potions and I got invited. I think he might choose people based on family status as well."

"Maybe it's a mix of both," Ella contemplated. "Either way. I really like your outfit Matilda!"

"Thanks," Matilda smiled shyly. She looked the trio up and down. "Alfie, you're Arthur, yeah? Teddy, Merlin?" The boys nodded. "And Ella…oh that's a beautiful dress! Guinevere?"

Ella sighed. "You know, everyone thinks that. I'm Morgan le Fay. _Before _she went evil."

Matilda nodded slowly. "Oh that does make sense. That's a good idea. Anyway, have you guys tried some of Slughorn's chocolate wands? They're home-made, I hear, and they're great! Better than the Honeydukes ones. Come on, you've got to try some!"

She led them through a crowd of students. Teddy glanced around him, taking in all the different costumes. Clearly, Slughorn had remembered to give everyone else advance warning- some of the costumes were especially elaborate. There were Hippogriffs, Dementors, Grindylowes, and even, to Teddy's amazement, a few werewolves.

Once they reached the snack table, Matilda handed each of them a chocolate wand. Teddy popped his in his mouth- he'd grown up on chocolate wands and other magical sweets. Alfie, on the other hand, stared at his apprehensively. "There aren't real wands under the chocolate, are there?"

Teddy laughed. "Of course not Alfie, don't worry."

He'd just finished devouring his wand when someone tapped him on his shoulder. He spun around, and came face-to-face with a tall, blonde boy dressed as a Dementor, who looked immensely familiar. Behind him were three other boys, who also appeared quite familiar. "Hi there," the boy said, grinning. "Sorry if I startled you. The name's Ralph. Ralph Lewis. I'm in Hufflepuff too."

"Hi?" Teddy said, unsure. He couldn't help but wonder what these boys wanted- they looked like sixth or seventh years, and he didn't know why they wanted to talk to him.

Another boy, a short brunette in a Hippogriff costume, came forward. "Nice costume," he said, smiling.

"Thanks," Teddy said. "Yours is great too."

"Thanks," the boy shot him a wicked grin.

"We just wanted to ask you a question," Ralph said. His smile was sickeningly sweet. "Are you the boy who can morph?"

"Er, yes?" Teddy wavered. "Why?"

"Oh no reason, just curious," Ralph shrugged. "We heard about Metamorphmagi in one of our classes, and heard that there was one in first-year, so we thought we'd just come and say hi. We'll be off now." He waved jauntily at Teddy before turning around and heading for the red jug in the corner. His friends followed.

"Well that was weird," Alfie said.

Teddy didn't reply. He'd just realized where he'd seen those boys before. Not the Huffelpuff common room, not in the corridors between classes.

In the library, the night of the full moon.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you guys liked the chapter! I can't wait to hear what you think! Again, thank you all for your faves, follows and reviews- they always make my day! Updates are going to be a little bit slower now that school's started back up again, but I will try my best to ensure that they're still fairly regular.

So, questions! Again, I'd love to know what your favourite scene in the chapter was! And also- the story is mainly written in close third, with regards to Teddy's perspective. If you were to see a chapter from another character's perspective, who would you like it to be- Alfie, Ella or Victoire?


	9. Chapter 9: Hit (Poppy)

**Chapter Nine: Hit (Poppy)**

_Dear Vic,_

_I swear I am writing this on Halloween night. I got your letter this morning. If this letter gets delayed on its' way to you, it is solely the fault of the owl post. DO NOT SEND ME A HOWLER._

_Anyways, hope you and Nikki had a great time trick-or-treating. I hope your Halloween was great and your ploy to get your dad to remember his glorious Gryffindor days worked because I can't imagine another year at Hogwarts without you. _

_Slughorn's Halloween party was great! I went as Merlin, Alfie went as Arthur and Ella went as Morgan le Fay. We stuffed ourselves- Slughorn makes really good chocolate wands (more motivation for you to come to Hogwarts!). Something weird did happen though- these seventh-year boys came up to me and asked me if I was the boy who could morph. They said it was just because they'd heard about Metamorphmagi in one of their classes, but the last I heard, Metamorphmagi aren't on the syllabus. Strange huh?_

_Anyway, keeping this letter short because not much has happened since I last spoke to you. Give my love to your Aunty Gabrielle- hope she's doing well! _

_Love,_

_Teddy._

* * *

_Dear Dominique,_

_Happy Halloween to you too! I hope you had a great time trick-or-treating, and got loads of candy. I'm sure you looked beautiful- ask mummy to send me a picture, yeah? I went as Merlin- I looked a bit odd though. My costume certainly wasn't as good as yours must've been._

_Hogwarts is lovely! My friends are being very nice to me. What have you done lately?_

_Lots of love,_

_Teddy._

* * *

Another full moon.

This time, Teddy had known it was coming. He'd checked the lunar calendar well in advance, disguising himself to get into the library without being noticed. It was becoming rather inconvenient, he thought. There had to be an easier way to figure out the full moon dates, but he didn't know what it was. He considered asking Ella if she knew another way, but decided that it would only lead to too many awkward questions.

Sneaking into the library unrecognized was far better than facing awkward questions.

When the colour was sucked from the world, he quietly left his dormitory and headed for Hagrid's hut in the guise of Professor Longbottom. This time, he managed to get the face spot-on, making sure to include the jagged scar across Professor Longbottom's eyebrow.

Hagrid was waiting for him, with a roast chicken in hand. They shared dinner- both of them famished, even though they'd eaten in the Great Hall only a few hours before. Hagrid had also fixed up a mattress and a couple of blankets next to the back door of his hut.

"This lack o' sleep really isn' good for yeh, Teddy," he said when Teddy had mumbled that he was rarely able to sleep on the nights of the full moon. "Yeh at leas' need teh try. I'll leave the door open for yeh- that might help, with the fresh air an' everythin'. What do yeh think?"

Teddy was touched that Hagrid had been so thoughtful. Although he figured that trying to sleep would probably be useless, he agreed anyway. Hagrid had probably had a tiring day- Teddy couldn't selfishly keep him up just because he couldn't sleep. He just asked Hagrid to wake him up by six o'clock (even though he knew that he'd be awake anyway), so he could sneak back into his dormitory before anyone noticed that he was gone.

Teddy cuddled up in the blankets. The weather had turned cold, and rushes of chilly air streamed through the open door. Normally, Teddy couldn't bear the cold, but on full moons, it barely bothered him- instead, he felt almost invigorated by it.

He stared up at the stars. It was a clear night, and each, little jewel in the sky was clearly visible, shining down on the world below. It reminded him of Shell Cottage- right at the shore, the sky was always clear, the stars always so bright. Andromeda used to take Teddy and Victoire to the beach at night, and they would sit on the sand, breathing in the fresh, salty sea air as Andromeda pointed up to the sky and named galaxies, planets and constellations.

One night, she had pointed out three stars, huddled together, that she had never named before.

_Ted. Remus. Nymphadora._

"Teddy's parents and grandfather?" a wide-eyed, young Victoire had asked.

Andromeda had smiled sadly and nodded. "They are with us wherever we go," she had said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Teddy had stayed staring up at the sky. The stars seemed to speak to him, to protect him, to be with him. Since then, all he needed to do was look at the sky, to find those three stars, and he would feel comforted. They weren't here, but they would never leave him. They were the only things he loved about the night.

Lying in Hagrid's hut, he searched for them, and found them. They appeared to be shining brighter than all the others, and in a manner of speaking, they were. Teddy stared up at the stars, willing them to speak to him, willing them to transform back into their physical, mortal forms.

They didn't.

He fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

The tiredness and exhaustion that had plagued Teddy after the last full moon did not materialize this time. He was amazed that he'd managed to get a good sleep _and _sneak back into his dormitory without getting caught. He sat now, at breakfast, helping himself to several friend eggs and slices of toast lathered with butter. Ella, who was nibbling at berries, watched him with slight disapproval.

"You really should eat healthier Teddy," she commented. "So much oil isn't good for you, you know. You don't want to get fat, do you?"

"He'd just morph it away," Alfie said, his mouth full of cheese. Ella flinched.

Teddy nodded. "He's got a point," he noted. "I could just morph it away. Anyway, I have a very fast metabolism. And we've got Flying today, so I'm just trying to keep my energy level up."

Ella rolled her eyes dramatically. Teddy was tempted to roll his eyes right back at her. "Honestly," she said. "You two have excuses for everything."

"Everything except not doing my astronomy homework," Alfie grumbled. "Sinistra's going to kill me. I didn't understand it at all. Why do we even need to know about the stars?"

"Hey," Teddy said. "The stars are great!"

"I agree," Ella nodded. "My parents love the stars- they almost named me Stella instead of Ella. Then they almost made it my middle name. I'm glad they chose not to. Can you imagine? _Ella Stella Anderson_. Merlin, how awful."

"What's your middle name then?" Teddy asked.

"Don't have one. You?"

"Remus," Teddy said, without thinking. It was only once the name left his mouth that he regretted it. What if someone made the connection he so desperately wanted to stay concealed?

Thankfully, Alfie changed the subject. "As much as I appreciate this conversation, can we get back to astronomy? I don't get why we have to study it- there's no _point _to it!"

Teddy sighed, unable to explain the meaning that the stars held to him. Instead, he held his hand out. "Pass me your homework sheet, I'll explain the map to you and then you can try to label it."

"Teddy!" Ella exclaimed in horror. "You can't do his homework for him! He'll never learn."

"I'm just explaining it Ella," Teddy said, patiently. Ella's views on academic honesty were particularly strong (just like Ella's views on everything under the sun) and he had no desire to get into an argument with her- especially since he knew that it would be like fighting a losing battle. He didn't understand why girls were just so good at proving their points- he'd never been able to beat Victoire in an argument either. "He'll do it himself."

"Oh," Ella said, suddenly reverting back to her usual, calm self. "Well, that's alright then." She paused briefly. "I'll help too."

"Thanks guys," Alfie grinned. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Logically- fail astronomy," Ella said, simply. Teddy shot her a look from across the table- she really was just too blunt sometimes. "What?"

"Ye of little faith," Teddy said, shaking his head. "Alfie's perfectly capable. He just needs a little help, that's all."

Ella shrugged. "Sure. I'm just glad that we're here to help him- otherwise he might end up getting horribly misguided. The number of people who pretend to know things when they really have no idea shocks me."

"I'm glad you guys are here too," Alfie said. "And please Ella- or even you, Teddy- don't say anything that's going to make me go back on that."

Ella and Teddy let out loud laughs filled with mirth, causing several other first-years to turn around and try to see what the joke was. Teddy noticed Ralph, the boy from the Halloween party and the library, cast a glance at the first-year table. His eyes seemed to follow Teddy, as if he was trying to catch his eye.

Teddy kept his gaze averted.

* * *

The weather turned bipolar after lunch- the sun was out and shining, but there was a distinct chill in the air. Teddy and Alfie wore their warm robes and tucked their yellow-and-black Hufflepuff scarves around their necks. Teddy considered changing his hair colour to match his scarf, but decided against it, thinking that someone would probably end up mistaking him for an overgrown bumblebee.

Ella met them at the Quidditch pitch. She was only wearing normal robes and her blue-and-bronze Ravenclaw scarf hung loosely around her neck. Alfie gawked at her.

"Aren't you cold?" he said.

"Not really," Ella said, nonchalantly. "The cold doesn't really bother me that much."

"You might feel quite differently once you're in the air, Miss Anderson," Madame Hooch, who Teddy hadn't noticed had arrived, said loudly from where she was approaching across the pitch. "The wind will bite you- I hope all of you have your scarves and warm robes."

Teddy and Alfie joined the majority of first-years in a murmur of assent. The others looked at one another, worried. Ella shuffled uncomfortably and wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck. Teddy looked on, a little amused- it was always funny to see Ella outsmarted. She had a very stubborn expression that seemed to say "_I have not been defeated"_, even though it was quite clear that she had been.

"Now that that's sorted," Madame Hooch glanced over the first-years. "I hope you're all ready for a bit of a challenge today."

Teddy nodded excitedly. He'd always been the kind of kid who loved to push his own limits and try to go the extra mile. He got bored very quickly and always wanted to move on, to get going, to advance himself. In a recent letter, his grandmother had written that she'd thought he might be the first of the family to end up in Ravenclaw, thanks to his academic curiosity. _Unfortunately_, Teddy reflected. _I'm not exactly logical enough. I'd never be able to get into the Ravenclaw common room_. Ella had tested some of the Ravenclaw riddles on Teddy, and he'd been unable to solve most ofthem.

"As long as it doesn't involve flying around the school, I'm fine," Alfie muttered, not very quietly. His remark led to numerous titters from other students- including Teddy and Ella.

Madame Hooch merely raised an eyebrow. "No, Mr. Hayes, you'll be right in my line of sight. And I don't plan on letting you out of it."

"Right," Alfie said. He looked a little downcast, so Teddy elbowed him and smiled.

"Hey, it's probably better this way."

"Yeah," Ella whispered. "Our stress levels will stay down."

Alfie glared at Ella. "It was once!"

"Yeah, but then you got lost on the way to Potions…"

"That was also once!"

"I _hate _to interrupt your conversation, Mr. Hayes, but we really do need to get on with the class," Madame Hooch said pointedly. "May we continue?"

Alfie nodded, red-faced. "Sorry Madame Hooch."

"Flying, in the Wizarding World, is not just a way of transportation. It also forms a key part of the Wizarding culture, through the sport of Quidditch. Now, does anyone here not know what Quidditch is?" Not surprisingly, no one put up their hands. Everyone, even the Muggleborns, had found out all about it during house team trials. "Excellent. Well, today, we're going to be delving further into the rules of Quidditch and getting some practical experience. Follow me, everyone."

She led them to a box near the Quidditch goalposts. On the way, Alfie asked, "do you guys know how to play Quidditch?"

"Yeah," Teddy said. "I've played a couple of times- my family taught me." He chose not to delve further into the details of his godparents' professional and amateur Quidditch experiences, instead adhering to his policy of avoiding anything that might cause unnecessary and unwanted questions.

"Well, you don't get to play much Quidditch in central London," Ella said. "I've flown a few times when I visited my grandparents in the countryside- but never Quidditch."

"Don't worry," Teddy nudged Alfie. "Madame Hooch'll explain everything- there are loads of people here who've never played."

"Yeah, but she likes them more than she likes me," Alfie mumbled, casting his eyes at the ground.

"She'll get over it," Ella waved dismissively.

"Yeah, somehow I'm not convinced."

"She will," Teddy said firmly. "Everyone gets over their grudges eventually."

"Let's just hope it's before we leave school," Alfie grumbled.

"Right then," Madame Hooch said. "Gather around." Alfie, Teddy and Ella joined the huddle of first years. Inside the circle, next to Madame Hooch, was a medium-sized brown, leather trunk. She took a small ring of keys from her belt and flicked her fingers through them quickly, attempting to find the one she was looking for. Teddy watched closely as she leaned down and opened the box. He thought he had a pretty good idea of what was coming next, and he was right. For inside the box, there were four, very familiar, balls.

"What are they?" Matthew Rivers craned his neck. "Are they the Quidditch balls?"

"Spot on, Mr. Rivers," Madame Hooch grinned.

She proceeded to take out each ball and explain the mechanics of what exactly they did to the class. Archie Quintin, who was a self-proclaimed Quidditch fanatic, chipped in here and there, earning Hufflepuff and impressive total of thirty-five points in less than ten minutes.

"Right then," Madame Hooch said triumphantly when she was done. "Let's move on then. We're going to get some practical experience- not with the bludgers or snitch just yet- you're not quite ready for that." A majority of the class groaned, including Teddy. He'd been hoping to show off his Seeking abilities- he wasn't too bad.

Alfie, on the other hand, let out a sigh of relief. "I was scared that the bludger would knock me off my broom."

"Don't be silly Alfie," Ella muttered. "Madame Hooch would never let that happen."

"We'll be practicing with the Quaffle," Madame Hooch threw the ball in the air and caught it. "Now, I need two volunteers."

Teddy put up his hand, along with most of the other first years. Alfie's hand stayed firmly by his side- Teddy thought it was such a pity. Alfie was, after all, a good flier- it was just one bad experience that seemed to have tainted him.

"Mr. Lupin, Mr. Quintin, thank you," Madame Hooch said. "Come up front, come up front." Teddy left the huddle to join Madame Hooch and Archie near the front. Madame Hooch grabbed two brooms from the ground and handed one to each one of them. "Now, boys, I want you to mount your brooms and take off. Hover slightly above the ground."

Archie and Teddy followed the instructions to a tee. Madame Hooch surveyed them for a second before giving them further instructions. "Mr. Lupin, I'd like you to assume the role of Chaser," she tossed him the Quaffle. "And Mr. Quintin, I'd like you to be Keeper. Now, if you could please fly towards the Quidditch hoops, Mr. Quintin. Mr. Lupin, stay here."

Teddy waited patiently as Archie took his position by the hoops. He was fairly confident about this whole situation- he'd played the position of Chaser before and was fairly decent, especially since his Aunt Ginny had given him tips specifically about Chasing.

"Alright," Madame Hooch said. "Mr. Lupin, I'd like you to fly towards the hoops. Once you get to say, two metres away, I'd like you to attempt to score by throwing the Quaffle through the left hoop. Mr. Quintin, I'd like you to attempt to block it."

Teddy nodded, and began accelerating towards the Quidditch hoops. He clutched the Quaffle in one hand and his broom in the other, his eyes focused on the left hoop. He could see Archie hovering in front of the hoop, ready to block his throw.

"Alright, Mr. Lupin, you can begin slowing down now," Madame Hooch called. Teddy leaned back on his broom, attempting to slow down. If anything, the broom just went faster. He tried again, but no such luck. He could see the hoop coming closer and closer, and the world around him became a blur. He could hear Madame Hooch shouting, but he couldn't make out the individual words- instead, they all ran together, as if she was speaking a foreign language. He kept trying to slow down, but he couldn't, the broom just _wasn't _responding.

And then suddenly, there was a thud.

He collided with the side of the hoop, the cold metal scraping against his forehead. The Quaffle and broom slipped from his grasp and he fell, fell, fell. It seemed like an eternity before he hit the ground.

He could faintly feel blood pooling around his head, as the gash on his forehead bled out. He registered Madame Hooch, Ella and Alfie running towards him. He weakly pulled himself up. "'M fine."

"No, you most certainly are not, Mr. Lupin. That's quite a gash you've got," Madame Hooch leaned close to Teddy to examine his forehead. "I'm afraid I'll have to take you to Madame Pomfrey. Another student will have to come with me, to stay with you and make sure you're fine after I have to leave you."

"Can I come?" Alfie asked, worriedly.

"Most certainly _not_, Mr. Hayes, both of you'll get lost on your way back to your dormitories," Madame Hooch said firmly.

"I'll go," Ella volunteered.

"Thank you Miss Anderson," Madame Hooch nodded. Alfie glared at Madame Hooch, but she didn't seem to notice. "Now, Miss Anderson, if you could take his left arm, and I'll take his right."

* * *

"He'll be fine, Rolanda, don't worry," Madame Pomfrey told Madame Hooch after examining the deep gash on Teddy's forehead. "I've got some new medicine that'll clean this up nicely. He'll have to rest for about an hour then."

"Good to know," Madame Hooch said. "Well, speedy recovery, Mr. Lupin. I ought to get back to class, before someone ends up flying around the school courtyard without permission. Miss Anderson, you can stay with him."

"Thanks Madame Hooch," Ella said, her eyes not leaving Teddy's wound.

Madame Hooch left the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey opened a cupboard and searched through a few bottles before she found the one she was looking for. Teddy watched her unscrew the cap and pour a strange, purple liquid into a small vial.

"Drink this up now," she handed the vial to Teddy. "It's a healing potion- it'll close that wound up in no time at all."

Teddy gulped it down, flinching. It had an awful, metallic grape taste that stung the back of his throat. Madame Pomfrey took the vial from him and patted him on the back. "You rest now, Mr. Lupin. Miss Anderson, you're welcome to stay, but I suggest that you stay calm."

"I'm always calm," Ella looked affronted. Teddy stifled a laugh.

* * *

Madame Pomfrey gave Teddy clearance to leave an hour later.

"I suppose we should go back upstairs then," Ella said, in her usual, gentle tone. "I'll take you to your common room and you can lie down a bit before dinner. That is, as long as you're feeling up to leaving the hospital wing- because, really, if you aren't then it is quite illogical to leave the close comfort of medical care behind." She peered up at him, her large hazel eyes unblinking.

"Nah, I'm fine Ella," Teddy said, heaving himself back onto his feet. "Doesn't hurt anymore- see, even the cut's almost gone." He pointed up at his forehead where the nasty gash had dissipated into no more than a thin, jagged line. It was almost as if he had simply given himself a paper cut, instead of crashing into a Quidditch post.

Ella nodded. "If you say so. Although you could have morphed that healed cut."

"I _didn't_," Teddy rolled his eyes dramatically. "Madame Pomfrey said that I was good to go, right? So that _logically _means that I'm okay."

Ella nodded again, more slowly this time. "Yes, I suppose it does. Well, come on then- I bet you everyone will be worried sick. I heard Daisy Shipkins asking Madame Hooch whether or not you'd still be able to morph after the accident."

Teddy tried to suppress a laugh. _Poor Daisy Shipkins_.

They walked out of the hospital wing and into the Hogwarts courtyard. The sun was still high in the sky, casting its' rays across the castle grounds, but the air had become even more frosty, as was so characteristic of early November. Teddy wrapped his yellow and black scarf tightly around his neck and tucked his hands into the pockets of his robes. Ella, however, didn't seem to notice the change in weather- she'd unwound her scarf again, and it was merely hanging loosely around her neck.

They rounded the clock tower, passing Hagrid's cabin. Teddy thought back on his recent visits to the Professor, and thought it might be nice to visit him during the day for once. He considered perhaps bringing Ella along- he was sure that she would like Hagrid. Knowing her, she'd probably spend hours asking him all sorts of questions about magical creatures.

It occurred to Teddy that he had never actually been in this part of the grounds before- he had come through the paved courtyard from the Hufflepuff common room when he visited Hagrid- he'd never been around the back before. He took the new area of the castle in- the Quidditch pitch was faintly visible, three bronze hoops against a cerulean sky, as was the Owlery. Even at this time, he could make out the specks that were owls flying in and out of the tower, delivering mail. He thought, with a pang, that it had been a while since he had heard from any of his friends or family, and considered perhaps writing to make sure that everything was okay.

They were on the edge of the Forbidden Forest when Teddy heard it. He stopped suddenly, ignoring Ella's questioning expression. It was a gentle sound, barely perceptible. He began moving closer towards the source, walking along the edge with Ella following, confused, behind. He could distinguish the sound of rushing water contacting still water, little splashes that filled the air. He continued moving, almost unconsciously; he didn't know what was coming over him- all he knew was that he had to get to the source, he had to see where the sounds were originating from. He began moving faster and faster, leaving Ella behind.

He finally reached a little clearing, right at the entrance of the Forbidden Forest, and gasped. Exactly in the middle of the entrance was a beautiful marble fountain, intricately carved in the figure of a phoenix. He walked closer to the stone and traced his palm along the rim of the basin. The words "in memoria" were carved deeply into the surface.

Behind the fountain was a solid slab of marble- larger than Teddy had ever seen. It towered above him, and he could barely make out the words at the top.

_In memory of all those who died fighting against Lord Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts (May 2__nd__, 1998) during the Second Wizarding War. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten._

Teddy lowered his eyes and gasped at what he saw. He moved closer and gently traced the letters in front of him, his heart pounding in his chest. There were two names indented in the stone.

_Remus John Lupin (b. 10 March 1960).  
Former Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Member of the First and Second Order of the Phoenix.  
_

_Nymphadora Tonks Lupin. (b. 23 August 1973)._

_Auror for the Ministry of Magic. Member of the Second Order of the Phoenix. Metamorphmagus. _

"It's terrible isn't it?" Ella's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "All the people who died here."

"They died to protect us," Teddy said, not averting his eyes from his parent's names. "They died so that we could live, safely and securely, without having to worry about being under constant threat from Voldemort." He almost spat the evil wizard's name, hating him for what he had done (indirectly) to his parents.

"Their sacrifice was pure," Ella nodded in assent. When Teddy did not move, or reply, she followed his line of vision until her eyes landed upon the same names that he was so fixed upon. She read them aloud. "Remus John Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks Lupin…hey, they have the same last name as you Teddy, are you…related." Her voice trailed off at the end, as the wheels that were always unconsciously moving in her head hit realization. Teddy bit his lip.

"Your middle name is Remus," Ella said softly. "You're a Metamorphmagus. You said that your gran saw you off at platform nine and three quarters. It adds up. Teddy…they're your parents, aren't they?"

Teddy gave an almost imperceptible nod, and Ella rushed forward and flung her arms around him in a sudden, unusual outward display of emotion. "Oh Teddy, I'm so sorry, I didn't know." Teddy, incredibly startled, just patted her gently on the back until she let go.

"It's fine," he mumbled. "How could you know? I never said anything."

"Oh Teddy, it must be…oh I'm so _sorry_."

"It's fine, Ella, really." Ella's face was strangely distraught and suddenly Teddy felt as if she was the one who needed comforting instead of him.

"You must miss them," she said quietly.

Teddy shrugged. "I never knew them," he said ruefully. "I was only a month old when they died. But I do, you know, wish that I'd at least had some kind of chance to get to know them, to get to know what they were like."

"I'm sure," Ella said.

Teddy gazed up at his parents' names again. He wasn't quite sure why it was having such an impact on him- after all, the monument only gave the most salient information about them. He knew that they had been so much more than their birthdates and their professions- Harry and his gran had told him so many stories about his mum and dad that told him truckloads more information about the kind of people they had been then this monument ever would.

He supposed it was just the fact that it had crept up on him unexpectedly. He should have known, of course, that there would be some kind of dedication and rememberance for the Battle of Hogwarts and those who died in it- although his knowledge of the Second Wizarding War and modern Wizarding history was somewhat limited (they only properly studied it in Third year), he knew that it had been the deciding battle, the one that had won the war for Harry and the Order, and gotten rid of Lord Voldemort forever. Something that important had to be remembered. But Teddy hadn't been expecting to see it, right at that moment, to be reminded of the loss that he couldn't remember but had left a hole inside him that was such a part of him that he didn't even know it was there anymore.

"Come on Ella," he said at last, tearing his gaze away from the monument. "We should go back now, or we won't have time to get changed before dinner."

"Hmm," Ella murmurs. She waited for Teddy to turn away before she did.

They walked halfway back to the Hufflepuff basement in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Teddy couldn't help but wonder if his parents had known, when they walked in here, that they wouldn't be coming out, that their names would be engraved upon a monument dedicated to the dead. The letters of course, hinted that they had some inkling that there was every possibility that they wouldn't survive the war. But had they known that it was _here _that they were going to meet their deaths?

Ella had that contemplative look on her face, and Teddy knew that she was likely thinking about his parents as well. He hadn't told her about them- he didn't want her to pity him in any way. He wanted their friendship to be untarnished. He could only hope that they still had that, but he was fairly sure that Ella wouldn't start treating him differently. She didn't seem like that kind of person.

It was Ella who broke the silence, and it was almost as if she had been reading his mind. "I understand why you didn't want to tell me," she said to Teddy. "I really do, I mean, it's logical. Had I known, you must have thought I would pity you and from the data I've gathered about your personality- you wouldn't want me to. So just so you know, I don't. I won't. Even if I do, I'll suppress it."

Teddy smiled at her. "Thank you, Ella. I appreciate it."

"Oh, and I won't tell anyone. Not even Alfie. We all have our secrets," she paused. "But, if you ever need to…you know, talk…I'm here. That's what friends are for."

Teddy's smile grew. He had never really had friends his own age- he didn't have any cousins and the rest of the Order's children were all much younger than him- with the exception of Victoire, of course, who was only a year younger. But Ella and Alfie were, somehow, different. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was that made them that, but they were. "Thank you Ella. And you know, the same does go for you. If you ever need to talk to me…I'm here."

She grinned. They had reached the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. "Well, I hope you're sure about that because if I don't study for this charms quiz that Flitwick's making us do, I will- of course- fail, and you'll probably have to spend hours consoling me."

Teddy laughed. "Merlin, you'd better go study then."

"I suppose I should," Ella said, smiling. "See you Teddy!"

And with that, she skipped out of the corridor, off to Ravenclaw Tower. Teddy watched her go and then turned to tap out the rhythms on the Hufflepuff barrels.

* * *

**A/N: **Another chapter, another revelation. So what'd you guys think of the last scene? Interestingly, it was the first scene I wrote in this entire story! Again, thank you for your favourites, follows and reviews. I'm still in shock that this story has so many, so thank you so much! It means a lot! And I am _very _sorry about the late update- updates will typically be more erratic now that school's started.


	10. Chapter 10: Meanings (Butterflies)

**Chapter Ten: Meanings (Butterflies)**

Ella didn't say anything for a week.

Teddy remained on edge, waiting for her to say something, for something to slip out in a conversation. But nothing did; she remained resolutely silent, just as she'd promised. There was no pity when she spoke to him; instead, everything was normal, just as he'd hoped it would be. The prosaic situation almost made him want to tell Alfie, but he couldn't. The fear of how he'd react still haunted him. After all, he still didn't know how Ella felt about the full situation. He couldn't, because there was still one thing that he'd kept from her. The one thing that he was terrified that she was going to bring up, sooner or later.

He'd never told her that his father was a werewolf. And knowing her, she'd figure it out sooner or later. He didn't know how, but it wouldn't be difficult- not for someone like Ella, who made connections in her mind without much effort or explicit evidence. She'd made links between Teddy and his parents names based on little bits, barely salient facts. Now that she had something concrete- a name- he knew that her curiosity would likely get the better of her and she'd delve in, discovering everything he wanted to keep from her.

He wasn't sure how'd she react. Something told him Ella was above screaming and running away, above ignoring and alienating him just because of a tiny little gene. But at the same time, he wouldn't be able to bear her looking at him in a different way- as he was almost certain she would. Werewolf heritage, although not visible at first glance, had that effect in the Wizarding World. It changed the way people looked at you, the way they treated you. Sometimes, they weren't even conscious of it.

Teddy thought that that would be the worst part. The unconsciousness.

* * *

Athena landed on the breakfast table lightly, a letter clutched in her beak. Ella gingerly removed it and examined the ballpoint-ink writing on the back.

"Who's it from?" Teddy asked casually, coating his toast in thick layers of butter and strawberry jam.

"Hm?" Ella looked up, momentarily distracted. "Oh, no one. Just my little brother."

"You have a little brother?" Alfie sounded startled. Teddy had to admit- he was too. He had always assumed Ella was an only child- she'd certainly never mentioned having siblings before. Now that he'd come to think of it, she'd never really mentioned much about her family before, especially in comparison to Alfie, who was forever blabbering about his parents and all the interesting people that they knew.

"Yeah," Ella smiled. "He's eight."

"So's Vic's sister!" Teddy exclaimed. "They'll be in the same year at Hogwarts then."

Ella's smile inexplicably vanished. She shuffled around, slightly uncomfortable, and reached for an apple. "Yeah…" she muttered. "I suppose…unless he goes to the same school as my mum. We don't know yet."

Teddy and Alfie exchanged a look. "Well, Dominique doesn't know if she'll be coming to Hogwarts either," Teddy offered in an attempt to lighten the situation. "Her mum, Fleur, went to Beauxbatons, so she might go there."

"That's interesting," Ella said, but her voice lacked its usual quality. She carefully slid the letter into her backpack, along with her various other books. Alfie watched her, curiously.

"You're not opening it now?"

"No, I think I'll save it for later," Ella glanced up at Alfie. "I like to read my letters in privacy."

Alfie shrugged and looked at Teddy. "She likes to read her letters in privacy. Apparently, she can't read them in front of us."

Teddy grinned. "What can we do? We're just too imposing."

A faint smile appeared on Ella's face, twisting up the corners of her mouth. "Oh shush, you two."

* * *

"What'd you get?" Teddy whispered to Alfie, who had folded up his test paper and was staring down at the bench dejectedly. "I promise, I won't judge." It was the end of their pre-lunch Herbology lesson, and they'd just gotten their marks back for a test that they'd done a couple of weeks ago. Teddy hadn't been overly thrilled with his grade- a 73%- but he thought it was an okay start. He'd just need to work a little harder, that was all.

Alfie shook his head. "I failed," he muttered, so quietly that Teddy barely heard him. "I don't know…I _did _study, it's not that I didn't. I guess I just didn't understand some of the stuff- it just didn't stick in my brain."

Teddy gave him a sympathetic smile. Alfie _had_ studied hard for the test- he'd made copious notes and spent hours reading over them. He knew what it was like to not get the results that you wanted, or that you felt you deserved- he often experienced it in Transfiguration, where no matter how hard he seemed to try, nothing worked. "Don't worry Alfie," he tried to reassure him. "After all, exams are months away. You'll have plenty of time to catch up and get to terms with everything."

"Yeah, I suppose," Alfie still sounded miserable. "D'you think Professor Longbottom will help me?"

"Of course he will," Teddy replied adamantly. "He's a _teacher_, it's his job to make sure we're learning. And he's a nice guy too."

"I suppose."

Professor Longbottom dismissed them for lunch and several first-years bolted for the door, enticed away from academics by the promise of an excellent meal prepared by the expert hands of the Hogwarts house-elves. Alfie sighed and put his test paper on the bench. "You go to lunch without me Teddy. I think I'm going to stay and go through the questions I got wrong with Professor Longbottom."

"That's a good idea!" Teddy smiled. "Should I pick up some sandwiches from the Great Hall for you for later?"

"That's okay- I'll stop by at the kitchens later on my way to pick up my books from the dorms. The whatchamacaulits…"

"House elves."

"That's it- the house elves don't mind giving hungry students a bit of food. That's what Bella told me."

Teddy raised an eyebrow. "Okay then, if you're sure. I'll see you later."

"See you," Alfie half-smiled. Teddy gathered up his books and left the greenhouse, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck as a blast of cold, Scottish air greeted him. It was _never _this cold down in Godric's Hollow, or in Cornwall. Although some students had gotten used to the weather, Teddy had yet to acclimatize.

He noticed Ella, hurrying down from the quadrangle to meet him, her Ravenclaw scarf flying in the breeze. "Hey," he greeted her. "What's up? I thought we were going to meet in the Great Hall."

"Yeah, yeah, we were," Ella said dismissively, glancing around. "Where's Alfie?"

"He needed to talk to Professor Longbottom," Teddy explained. "Didn't get a very good test score…he wanted to figure out where exactly he needed to improve."

Ella looked impressed. "That's a very positive attitude. I must commend him for it later. Anyway, I suppose it's best that he's away for now…do you have a moment?"

"Er…sure?" Teddy said, a little confused. "It's lunch, I've got plenty of moments."

"Speaking of lunch, would you mind eating a little later? I…I…um…need to show you something, it's kind of urgent."

"What's more urgent than food?"

"This," Ella grabbed his hand, and started dragging him behind her, up into the Hogwarts quadrangle. Teddy tried to shake her off, but she had a surprisingly strong grip for someone who appeared so petite.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing? _Ella! _I'm _hungry!_"

"Oh you'll survive," she said, calmly- a stark contrast to the manner in which she was violently jerking his arm into the hallways. Teddy noticed a few of the senior students looking at them, perplexed. Bella Watson, who'd had her nose burrowed in a Transfiguration textbook looked up, and called out to Teddy.

"Is everything okay?"

"Peachy," Ella shouted back, before Teddy had a chance to reply.

"I'm fine," Teddy mouthed to an incredibly confused Bella. "For Merlin's sake, _Ella_. Would you let go? I'll follow you, promise!"

"Fine," Ella dropped his arm. "But come _on_. We don't have much time."

"Would you at least tell me where we're going?"

* * *

Their destination, it turned out, was the Ravenclaw common room. Draped in bronze and blue, it had an airy feel to it that was very different to the earthy atmosphere that the Hufflepuff common room radiated. The change made Teddy feel slightly uncomfortable, although he couldn't find fault with the beautiful, high ceilings and the stunning view of the Hogwarts courtyard.

A few fourth-years were lounging around on the leather couches, studying for tests. They barely glanced at Ella and Teddy when they entered. Teddy found this strange- the Hufflepuff common room's warmth didn't only stem from it's location and décor, but also from the actions of the students. All Hufflepuffs were always welcoming, always greeting students who walked into the common room and asking how their day had been. It had been one of the things that had helped Teddy adjust to Hogwarts life so rapidly; he didn't quite know how he would be able to bear sharing a common space with people who didn't even acknowledge his presence.

"Don't mind them," Ella whispered to Teddy, after noticing the way he was fixed on them. "Ravenclaw's don't really like to be interrupted while they're reading. They're friendly enough otherwise. Come _on_."

She led him up a winding, spiral staircase. Teddy followed her, slowly, minding his every step. He hated spiral staircases- always had, ever since Victoire had fallen down one and broken her arm when she was five and he was six. He focused on looking up, instead of down, and tried to focus on a single spot to combat the dizziness that he was starting to feel (although he couldn't help but wonder whether his light-headedness was due to his growing hunger).

When they finally reached the landing, Ella opened a large, wooden door with an eagle knocker to reveal a spacious dormitory with six beds and a glass wall that provided beautiful views of the Hogwarts grounds, the lake and the Forbidden Forest. Teddy only just managed to take it all in, before he realized where he was.

"Er, Ella?"

"Yes Teddy?" she had already entered the room and had taken off her black backpack and was rifling through it.

"We're in the girls dormitories."

"Yes?"

"Boys can't get into the girls dormitories. That's what Bella told me…there's some kind of charm."

"Oh that," Ella flicked her hand dismissively. "A Ravenclaw prefect figured out how it worked and recast it, so that if a girl _willingly_ brings a boy up, it's fine. I brought you up, so you didn't get kicked out. Easy."

"Right." Teddy wondered if this Ravenclaw prefect would be able to recast the spell on the other dormitories as well. He wouldn't mind visiting Victoire when she finally got to Hogwarts. "Anyway, what was it that you wanted to show me?"

"This," Ella pulled a slim, brown envelope out of her bag and handed it to Teddy. It took him a few seconds to recognize it- the letter she had received at breakfast that morning. He stared at it for a few more moments, turning it over in his hand, confused.

"But Ella, this is the letter that your little brother wrote you…"

"It's not a letter," Ella said quietly. Teddy registered the change in voice, tone, mood. Suddenly, the spacious room felt very cramped, the air tightening around them. "It's a package." He stared at it for a few more seconds, running his finger over the waxy seal, over the ink indents in the paper. "It's for you," she said. "Open it."

He'd never been good at opening envelopes, but somehow, he opened this one without ripping it, handling it like a delicate rose. He could feel Ella's eyes, nervous and warm on him, but he refused to meet them, not until he found out what was inside. His fingers darted in the packaging and closed around two slim pieces of card. He drew them out.

Two smiling faces greeted him from two brightly coloured cards. A young witch, spiky pink hair framing her angular, yet open face. An older wizard, warmth radiating from his nervous smile. Faces familiar to him, yet foreign.

"I know you probably already have them," Ella said nervously, her hands clasped together, fidgeting. "But I felt like…I felt like I had to do something Teddy, you know. And I just…I wanted to…"

"I know," Teddy said, quietly. "I know."

"My brother has the entire set," Ella continued. "All the B-Battle of Hogwarts special editions." It's the first time he's heard her stutter. "The number of chocolate frogs he ate to get those cards…but either way, he was happy to hand them over when I asked. I just…I want you to have them."

After the Battle of Hogwarts, the Chocolate Frog company had put his parents on special edition cards. He knew that- he had the cards hidden in one of his desk drawers at home. He'd seen the cards so many times, he knew every single word off by heart. He was touched by Ella's gesture, he really, truly was- it meant a lot to him that she would even think of doing something like this, to show him in some way that she did care. But he was preoccupied; he knew what was written on the back of his father's card.

_Werewolf_.

"Ella, have you read these?"

"Sorry?" Ella blinked. "No…why?"

"Nothing. Thank you," he smiled at her. "Truly. It means a lot."

Ella returned the smile, but hesitated slightly. He could see the wheels working. "Teddy…I know."

"Know what?" His blood turned to ice, and fear filled him. He knew that she might be talking about something completely different, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she _wasn't_.

"About your dad." _No, of course she wasn't. _"I…I looked them up, your parents…and…" Of course she did. There goes that infamous curiosity.

"It's okay," he cut her off, quickly. "I understand."

"Understand what?"

"If you…don't want to be friends anymore," the words burned the back of Teddy's throat, but he would rather that he was the one to suggest it. At least that way, he can't blame Ella.

"Are you kidding?" Ella sounded hurt, almost angry. "Teddy…why would you think that? Of course I don't want to stop being friends…just because your dad was a…a werewolf! I mean, I don't know enough about werewolves to know if it's hereditary or not, but honestly, I don't care, even if it is."

"Ella…"

"And how does it matter to me if you happen to turn into a wolf every now and then? You're my _friend_, Teddy. My parents taught me this much- when you're someone's friend, you're their _friend_ no matter what," she pursed her lips tightly. "I don't care."

Teddy couldn't help but smile. He never imagined, not in a million years, that he _wouldn't _be rejected over the whole werewolf debacle. Sure, Victoire had never judged him over it, but that's because they'd grown up together, and become friends long before she could even understand what a werewolf was and the dangers that they posed. He had always been afraid of becoming what he'd heard his father was- outcast by society, unable to teach because he was considered a 'danger to students' even when Andromeda strongly claimed that Remus wouldn't hurt a fly.

"You still won't tell anyone, right?" he said, his voice low.

"Of course not," Ella said, earnestly. "Not even Alfie, if you don't want me to. Although honestly, I don't think he'd take it too badly."

Teddy silently agreed. "I just don't feel like I'm ready."

"Whenever you are. Just know, I'm always here, if you need to talk or anything," Ella put on a reassuring face. "I promise."

This time, it was Teddy who hugged her. "Thank you."

* * *

"I heard Ella was seen pulling you across the school," Alfie said to Teddy, as the boys lay on the floor of the Hufflepuff common room, Potions books spread out around them. "That must've been fun."

"That girl has a strong grip," Teddy shook his head, amused. "I'm pretty sure it left a bruise, you know." He thought back to that afternoon- the gift, the conversation. It just went to show him that sometimes, the things that he feared the most really didn't contain anything that should spark fear. Ella had taken everything well, she hadn't flown off the handle about anything. She'd been accepting- which was all Teddy really could ever want in a friend. Acceptance. He knew Alfie had it in him too, and hoped that it would manifest, when the time came to tell Alfie.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Alfie grinned. "I did hear Daisy saying that Ella looked awfully murderous and that she personally feared for your safety."

Teddy rolled his eyes. "That's just like Daisy, isn't it? Well, for everyone's information, I'm perfectly fine. Ella just needed to show me something, that's all."

"Like what?"

"Er…her potions essay," Teddy improvised quickly. He'd managed to tuck the Chocolate Frog cards away in a drawer and write a tiny thank-you note to Ella's little brother before Alfie had gotten to the common room to grab his books for their next lessons. It had been a close call, however, and Teddy had prepared answers to the numerous awkward questions that he had been sure he was going to face.

Alfie raised an eyebrow skeptically. "_Her _potions essay? Why would Ella be showing you her potions essay?"

"She, um, wanted my advice," the words were out of Teddy's mouth before he could assess their believability. In truth, they were about as believable as Terence draping himself in a white flag and apologizing to Teddy for his past behavior. Ella wouldn't need Teddy's advice- in fact, it would probably be the opposite way around.

Alfie raised an eyebrow, suspicion mounting. Teddy watched, anticipating a breakdown, a demand to know what was really going on. He was certainly surprised when Alfie just shrugged. "Whatever mate. You'll tell me what's really up when you want to."

Teddy stared at him for a few seconds, almost unable to believe it. "Thanks Alfie. I swear, I'll tell you sometime. It's...it's not that big of a deal, really."

He was amazed at how he managed to so effortlessly blend the truth with a lie.

"Doesn't really bother me," Alfie replied. "As long as...oh Merlin, you're not dating Ella are you? I wouldn't be able to handle that, please say it isn't so!"

Teddy couldn't help but burst out into laughter; the idea was so absurd. "Of course not,

Alfie, please! That would be like you dating Bella."

"Except of course, I will actually manage to date Bella at some point," Alfie said resolutely, his voice sparkling with a tinge of humour. "I can hope, right?"

"You'd better not let Daisy hear you say that," a light, high voice came from behind them. Teddy turned around to see Matilda Goshawk clutching several books, her mousy brown hair tucked into a messy ponytail. "She hates anything and everything to do with Bella Watson. I think it's because of her sister...Laura, you know? I mean, you saw the whole debacle with the Quidditch tryouts. But anyway, Daisy refuses to accept that she just doesn't like Bella because Laura doesn't like Bella. She claims it's for some other reason that's apparently based on some kind of moral principle, but she refuses to tell me what this moral principle is."

"I bet it's the same principle that she uses to justify hating Ella," Teddy said under his breath.

"Oh no, it's a different one, I think," Matilda said, her tone of voice almost reassuring. She glanced over her shoulder. "That boy there's looking at you Teddy. The same one from the Hallowe'en party."

"Really?" Teddy craned his neck. Ralph Lewis was sitting on a chair in the common room, however he was deeply engrossed in a N.E.W.T. level Charms textbook. Or so it seemed. "I wonder what he wants." He'd tried to dismiss his previous encounter with him as simply an odd exchange, but he'd been unable to shake his inner curiosity about Ralph and the other seventh-years that he'd seen that night in the library. What could they have _possibly _been doing so late at night?

"Dunno," Matilda shrugged. "Anyway," she paused, hesitating slightly. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Teddy moved stray notes and papers away to make room for Matilda. "Are you working on your potions essay too?"

"Charms," she replied. "I finished the potions one yesterday- Daisy wanted me to write mine before she wrote hers so I'd be able to help her."

"That's not very..." Teddy couldn't seem to find the word. "Nice of her. Why couldn't you both work on it together?"

Matilda shrugged her shoulders. "It's Daisy. She's not always very nice. I mean, she can be, when she wants to be, but most of the time she's just thinking about where it's going to get her. I don't really blame her, I mean, her sister's exactly the same way and Daisy _idolises _Laura."

"I can't see why," Alfie mumbled. Teddy couldn't help but agree. He didn't like making presumptuous judgements about others, but Laura Shipkins didn't seem like a nice person at all.

Matilda shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes relationships work in inexplicable ways, you know." She leaned over Teddy's shoulder and glanced through his essay. "It's eye of winterfrog, Teddy, not eye of newt."

"Right," Teddy slashed the mistake out with a deft stroke of his quill and corrected it just above. "Thanks Matilda."

"Not a problem," Matilda beamed. "I don't mind helping out a friend."

"How about reading through my essay too?" Alfie joked.

Matilda, however, took the proposal seriously. "I wouldn't mind, if you'd like me to."

"I was kidding," Alfie looked a little sheepish. "But thanks. Ella never offers to read through my essays- she thinks I need to develop skills of 'self-analysis' and 'self-criticism' and 'self-learning' and goodness knows what else. She thinks that if she helps me, I'll never succeed."

Teddy chuckled lightly; if there was anything funnier than Ella's lectures, it was Alfie recalling and rewording Ella's lectures.

Matilda, on the other hand, didn't look very amused. "She does have your best interests at heart, I suppose. After all, you guys are such good friends."

She looked a little dejected so Teddy attempted to say something that would get her to cheer up a little bit: "just like you and Daisy are!"

Matilda looked as if she was contemplating this for a few moments. Teddy tried not to look as if he was waiting for an answer, but couldn't rid himself of the curiosity that anticipated her response. He wondered if Matilda and Daisy really were all that close; he rarely did see them out of each other's company. But Daisy always seemed to be the domineering one, always driving Matilda around the place, while Matilda herself remained quiet.

"It's a different kind of friendship," she said at last. "I don't really think you can compare the two. Daisy and I are friends, yeah, but not in the same way you guys are friends with Ella."

"I don't think I really get it," Alfie muttered, looking at Matilda rather than paying attention to the ink splotches that his dripping quill was leaving on his roll of parchment. Teddy remembered Alfie's extreme discomfort when he first found out that he would have to use a quill rather than the convenient Muggle ballpoint pen he'd been carrying with him just in case. He'd been afraid of the mess that the ink would cause and had stressed for weeks every time the black pigment smudged or stained. Now he was completely oblivious to it.

Matilda shook her head. "It's hard to explain." She looked at Teddy, searching for some sort of backup, some sort of aid in expressing her ideas and what she wanted to say, but Teddy just looked back at her blankly. He didn't really understand what she meant; what these different types of friendship that she was referring to meant.

She sighed, resignedly. "Just know this. What you guys have is special. Don't let anything tear it apart, not competition, not secrets, not anything. Because you'll regret it, you know."

Teddy listened to her silently, trying to ignore the feeling that she, rather than speaking to the both of them, was speaking directly to him.

* * *

**A/N: **I owe you all an apology! I am so, so sorry that this chapter has taken so long- an entire month! I've been so caught up with school work. To my new readers: hello, and thanks for joining me! & to my old readers: thank you for sticking around. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was a little rushed- I wrote most of it last night, so if anyone spots any mistakes, please, please let me know! Anyway, I _will not abandon this story_. It means too much to me. It may take a little while to get chapters updated and posted, but I promise I will get around to it as soon as I can.

Also, a shoutout to the anons who've been recommending my story on Tumblr! Means a lot!


	11. Chapter 11: Exuberance (Evolution)

**Chapter Eleven: Exuberance (Evolution)**

Opening the homework diary that Ella had insisted he maintain meticulously, Teddy noticed, overjoyed- yet a little startled- that he had very little homework for the weekend. Instead of the usual slew of essays, assignments and tests, he only had a few worksheets to complete. He had been _sure _that he had potions homework- after all, Ella had run up to her dormitory after class to study the material that they'd just been tested on. Teddy had actually managed to get a higher mark than Ella- something she had congratulated him upon, but hadn't seemed too thrilled.

His amazement at his lack of homework must have shown on his face (or perhaps it was his hair that gave it away- it had turned a bright shade of orange) because Lucas approached him from the other side of the common room, grinning widely.

"It's 'cause it's Quidditch weekend," he said, slouching lightly against the wide, soft arm of the sofa Teddy was sitting on. "Teachers _love _Quidditch, and since it's the first match of the season, they like students to enjoy themselves without worrying too much about homework and tests and whatever."

"Thank Merlin," Teddy said, becoming conscious of his hair and changing it back to its' typical turquoise shade. A couple of older Hufflepuffs whistled from the corner, and he returned their attention with a grin. "I really need a break."

"Enjoy it while you can," Lucas rolled his eyes. "The workload will increase quite a bit just before the Christmas holidays."

"Great," Teddy groaned, his excitement levels reduced. "I can't wait."

"What can't you wait for?" Alfie said, joining Teddy on the soda. "The Quidditch match tomorrow? I'm _so _excited- I've never seen a real Quidditch match before. I saw a football match once- my dad took me- but it was boring."

"Quidditch is great," Teddy told him. "A little overwhelming, but fantastic. You're really going to enjoy yourself."

"I hope so!" Alfie turned to Lucas. "Will you be playing tomorrow, Lucas?"

"Nah," Lucas waved his hand dismissively. "Tomorrow's Gryffindor versus Slytherin. We're playing Ravenclaw in another two weeks." His brow furrowed in worry. "They're a really good team. Macey's been pushing us like crazy- the number of practice sessions we've had is mad."

"How's Bella doing?" Alfie asked innocently. Teddy rolled his eyes- Alfie really did have a crush on Bella, even though Teddy was pretty sure he was aware that their hypothetical 'relationship' wasn't going to go anywhere. Especially since he accidentally walked in on Bella kissing Carlton Jung, another Hufflepuff fifth-year, a few days earlier. He hadn't had the heart to tell Alfie yet.

"Fine," Lucas shrugged. "She's a fabulous Seeker- catches the snitch super fast. I bet she could go pro in a few years, if she really wanted to. Gosh, I would _love _to play pro Quidditch for a few years, you know, tour the world and the country and everything. Travelling and seeing places…man that would be fantastic! But I'm probably not good enough."

"I'm sure you are," Teddy said graciously, although in all honesty, he'd never actually seen Lucas play and hence couldn't really pass an accurate judgment. But the accuracy of his affirmation didn't seem to matter to him; Teddy had an instinct to reassure, to make sure people felt good about themselves and their situation. He was sure that this was one of the qualities that had landed him in Hufflepuff, and he was incredibly proud of it. After all, he would rather help people feel comfortable than make them feel out of place, like Terence Gates so often did.

Terence had found out about Teddy's incident with the Quidditch post, and had taunted him about his clumsiness and apparent lack of skills on a broom ever since- shouting rude names at him every time he saw Teddy in the corridors. He'd somehow even managed to bribe the school poltergeist, Peeves, into dropping things on Teddy's head- a job Peeves took to gleefully.

Teddy had written to his godfather about Terence, asking him for advice on how to act. He hadn't dared write to his gran, who would probably fly to Hogwarts immediately and yell at Terence, or find some way of contacting his parents. Although he loved Andromeda, she had -what he had heard was- the typical temper of a Black- no matter how far she tried to distance herself from her roots.

He'd received Harry's reply that , he'd had trouble in school with a Draco Malfoy, who Teddy remembered meeting briefly at a Christmas party once. It was a similar, yet much worse situation, and Teddy couldn't help but marvel over the idea that Harry was now friendly with someone who'd once been his arch-nemesis. He wondered if one day, he'd be friends with Terence. The idea seemed strange to him, but he supposed that it could happen. _Although it would be as unlikely as Ella and Daisy becoming best friends_.

* * *

Sunday morning came, and Hogwarts was buzzing- more so than usual. The Great Hall was filled with students making bets on who the winning team would be, deciding which team to support and just generally gearing up for the first Quidditch game of the season.

The excitement hadn't escaped the teachers either. Teddy noticed that Professor Longbottom and Professor Slughorn were sitting at opposite ends of the long staff table, wearing bright robes mirroring the hue of their own respective houses. Professor McGonagall too had exchanged her usual black and olive robes for scarlet ones.

Ella noticed this too. "Shouldn't Professor McGongall be neutral?" she inquired, thoughtfully, pushing her glasses up her nose as she pulled out a chair at the first-year table. "I mean, she _is _the Headmistress."

"Nah," Teddy said dismissively. "My godfather told me- she was a Gryffindor, back when she was at Hogwarts. Apparently, she played for the Quidditch team, and in her final year, suffered quite a nasty fall. I can't really remember the details- but I'm pretty sure she broke a couple bones. Anyway, it was due to a Slytherin foul, so ever since then, she's had this raging desire to make sure they're crushed on the playing field."

Alfie stretched his face and nodded, interested. "That's pretty awesome. Is your grandfather friends with Professor McGonagall?"

"Godfather," Teddy corrected. "And no- she was his head of house when he was at Hogwarts. He was in Gryffindor." Teddy had noticed that he'd become a lot more open with information regarding his background. He didn't keep everything locked up anymore, every little fact guarded like a precious jewel. Of course, he didn't want to divulge everything just yet, but Ella's positive reaction had given him more confidence.

"Professor McGongall was head of Gryffindor before Professor Longbottom?" Alfie asked, reaching for an apple. "Wow, that's a change."

Teddy chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose it is."

"Hey- you three!" Michael Goshawk leaned over the table and waved at Teddy, Ella and Alfie. He was wearing a bright green hat, and several Slytherin scarves. "Aren't you excited? Who're you supporting?" He gave them a knowing wink, as if to suggest that they must be supporting Slytherin. Teddy hesitated slightly- he'd been thinking of supporting Gryffindor. After all, his father had been one. But then again, his grandmother had been a Slytherin- she would certainly be quite hurt if he didn't cheer for her team.

Screwing up his nose, Teddy morphed his hair so that it was coloured with long stripes of green and red. "I'm supporting both teams," he grinned back at Michael.

Michael raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure that's cheating Teddy," he said, earnestly. "You've got to choose one."

"Just say Slytherin," Alfie muttered in Teddy's ear. "It doesn't really matter if you want to or not. Plus, your hair looks like Christmas right now- not really a good look for you."

Teddy crinkled his nose again, and changed his hair to a deep emerald. He wished there was a mirror around; green had never been his best colour, and every time he decided to give it a try, he always had to make sure it was exactly the right shade. Ella, however, seemed to like how it looked, and gave him a thumbs up. "I guess I'll support Slytherin then," Teddy smiled at Michael. _At least gran'll be happy._

"Oh brilliant," Michael beamed. "You two'll be supporting us too, then?"

Alfie nodded, while Ella looked a little miffed. "It might just be the wording of that statement, Michael," she said haughtily. "But are you implying that we're reliant on Teddy to determine what _we _do?" She raised a single eyebrow questioningly, and inclined her head to the side, all the while maintaining a fierce expression on her face.

"I wasn't implying that at all Ella," Michael replied diplomatically. "I'm sorry if you felt that way."

Ella nodded steadfastly. "Thank you for your apology."

Alfie rolled his eyes at Teddy. Lately, Ella had been a little touchier than normal. Teddy wondered if it had something to do with the fact that he'd recently gotten a higher mark than her at a potions quiz, but he didn't think it was. After all, it was just one, measly potions quiz. It couldn't possibly mean that much to Ella, could it? She certainly hadn't mentioned it to him if it did.

Still, as they began to move out of the Great Hall and towards the Quidditch pitch, Teddy noticed Ella's potions textbook sticking out of the shoulder bag she was carrying. It had several sheets of paper stuck in it and was filled with bookmarks, as if she'd been studying it intensively. He tried to dismiss it- after all, Ella was always concerned about her studies. It was only natural that she'd carry her books around everywhere she went.

Or so he hoped.

* * *

Thanks to the tales of Hogwarts that he'd heard from his family, Teddy was under the impression that during Quidditch matches, students were expected to sit with the other members of their houses. Apparently, this was not the case anymore. Thinking about it, he realized that he should have probably seen it coming; the Hogwarts he attended was, in certain ways, very different to the Hogwarts that his grandmother and godfather had known. No longer were students segregated according to house- instead, they were encouraged to mingle with one another and accept one another. What good, after all, was a society that refused to embrace difference?

Michael, Teddy, Alfie and Ella clambered up a watchtower that was robed in the Slytherin green and silver. They managed to get pretty good seats, right at the front, perfect for catching all the action. Teddy had been sure that the senior students would have grabbed those positions for themselves, but instead, the Ravenclaw and Slytherin sixth-years who had been occupying the forward seats had graciously moved further back to make room for the first years. When Teddy had thanked them, they'd waved off his apology.

"It's nothing," a Ravenclaw girl said. "It's kind of an unofficial Hogwarts tradition. We've seen tons of inter-house matches, so it's alright if for one of them, we don't get great seats. This is your first match. It's special. You guys deserve the best view possible."

"That's so logical," Ella said, nodding her head slowly. Teddy and Alfie shot her look. "And so…kind of you! Thank you very much," she smiled.

"Isn't Terence going to be sitting with you too?" Alfie asked innocently, as they shuffled into the row. Teddy groaned inwardly- he should remembered that Michael and Terence were close friends. The last thing he wanted was to sit with Terence Gates and listen to his idiotic jabs all through his first Quidditch match.

Hence, he was incredibly relieved when Michael shook his head. "Nah, Terence isn't joining us," he replied, a hint of dejection in his voice. "He…um…isn't really talking to me right now."

_Good for you, _Teddy thought.

"He, um, doesn't want to be around me during the match. You know, because I'm in Slytherin and he's a Gryffindor, and he gets a little…well…competitive."

_Imagine that_.

"Oh, that's…unfortunate," Ella said, trying her best to look sympathetic. Teddy noticed that she wasn't exactly the best actress around.

"_I _don't think it's that unfortunate," a quiet voice came from behind them. Michael whipped around.

"Mat? What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd come sit with you," Matilda looked a little hurt at Michael's outburst. Teddy waved at her, smiling, trying to lift her mood. Instead, Daisy Shipkins, who was standing next to her, waved back, smiling. "Is that a problem?"

"No, no of course not," Michael mumbled. "Please, sit."

Daisy and Matilda took seats behind them. "I suppose you're supporting Slytherin then," Matilda said.

"Yeah," Alfie replied. "Are you?"

Daisy snorted. "I'll support anyone who I think can beat Hufflepuff, when they finally get around to playing."

"Sorry?" Teddy was sure he'd heard her wrong. "Did you just say you'll support anyone who can _beat _Hufflepuff?"

"Yeah," Daisy nodded, looking completely and utterly unaffected. "Why, is there a problem?" She looked innocently at everyone's shocked faces.

"You're _in _Hufflepuff," Ella said bluntly.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like our Quidditch team, Anderson," Daisy snapped back. "Honestly, they're losers, all of them. I bet we're not going to win a single match."

"She wouldn't be saying that if her sister was on the team," Alfie whispered to Teddy, who nodded in agreement.

"Sorry?" Daisy asked sharply.

"Er, nothing," Alfie stuttered. "I was…um…just saying to Teddy here how…um…unfortunate it is that your…er…sister didn't…um…make the team. You…um…know we were all rooting for her. Yeah!" he laughed shakily.

Daisy smiled. "Yes, it was awfully unfortunate. But that Macey Longstone is supposed to be awfully biased anyway. She'll learn her lesson when we fail."

Ella opened her mouth to say something, but Teddy placed a hand on her arm. "There's no point in arguing," he told her, a little louder than he had intended.

"Yes, Anderson, listen to Teddy," Daisy said smugly.

Ella shot Teddy a look, and took a deep breath in. "Let's all sit and watch the match, shall we? Look, it's starting."

Sure enough, the match commentator- a fourth-year Hufflepuff named Melanie Swan- had picked up the loud speaker and was excitedly shouting the names of the players as they swished out into the air, streaks of scarlet and emerald. Teddy cheered along with everyone.

The action began as soon as Madame Hooch threw the Quaffle up into the air and blew her whistle loudly, the shrill sound filling the wide, empty air. Immediately, the Gryffindor and Slytherin Chasers lunged for the brick red ball. It went from person to person, flying through the air so fast that Teddy could barely keep up. Within twenty seconds, Slytherin had scored the first ten points.

The Slytherin Chasers worked with such nimbleness and teamwork that the Gryffindor Keeper just couldn't keep up. However, splendid play by the Gryffindor Beaters managed to keep them in the game. Alfie was shocked when he saw one of the Slytherins tumble to the ground after being knocked off his broom by a Bludger. "That can't be allowed! Foul! Foul!"

"It's not a foul Alfie," Ella replied calmly. "That's allowed in Quidditch."

"You can just casually knock someone off their broom?"

"Yup," Teddy said, patting Alfie on the back reassuringly. "Happens all the time. Although usually, your team's Beaters are around to prevent it from occurring. They'll send the Bludger straight back to the opposing team."

"Don't people break bones though?" Alfie said, still looking horribly shocked.

"Yeah," Ella said. "But it's a lot easier to repair broken bones in the Wizarding World than it is in the Muggle world."

"Why don't they share their remedies?"

Ella snorted. "Oh yes, that would go down well."

"_Shush_ you guys," Michael said emphatically. "Look- Gryffindor's scored. Oh no! They're catching up!"

Sure enough, Gryffindor had managed to drive the Quaffle through the Slytherin hoops. The score now stood at 40 to Gryffindor and 50 to Slytherin.

"I hope they don't win," Michael mumbled. "Terence'll never shut up about it."

Teddy rolled his eyes. Terence seemed like the type who would gloat about anything and everything, the type who would desperately attempt to find some way to exert his superiority. His thoughts drifted back to the trophy room, to the elegant golden cup with _Edward Gates _engraved upon its' shiny surface. He wondered why Terence had been so ashamed, had shut up so quickly instead of gloating about how a member of his family had been given an award for Special Services to Hogwarts.

He noticed Kayla Gates sitting in a nearby tower with some other third-year girls. He watched her as she laughed and joked with them, applauding excitedly and cheering loudly every time the Slytherins scored a goal or nearly knocked someone off their broom. She seemed so different to Terence, who never seemed to smile genuinely, or laugh with his friends. Come to think of it, Teddy rarely saw Terence with anyone other than Michael. He seemed to keep to himself, while exerting his presence; an oxymoronic situation that Teddy just couldn't figure out.

Terence Gates was a mystery to him. While he wanted to find out more, he also wanted to leave it alone. After all, there really was no point- was there? Terence just hated him- it was the way things were, and Teddy was pretty sure that there was no changing that. He'd tried to make friends, but Terence hadn't been willing. He should just forget all about him.

He was brought back to reality, out of the misty world of his thoughts, when the Slytherin Seeker suddenly took a steep dive, the Gryffindor Seeker in hot pursuit. "They've seen the Snitch!" Melanie shouted above the roaring of the crowd. Teddy craned his neck to see the action- the Slytherin Seeker was now stretching out his right hand, while using his left to dodge the Gryffindor Seeker. Slowly, his fingers encapsulated what was no more than a blur of golden light to Teddy.

The crowd erupted.

"The snitch has been caught!" Melanie yelled. "Slytherin wins!"

It looked as if Michael had gotten his wish after all.

* * *

The next Thursday found Teddy lying on a sofa in the common room, completing an astronomy worksheet. Alfie and Ella had offered to help Professor Slughorn with sorting out the ingredients in the potions cupboard, and were busy lifting cans of frogs legs and other odd substances, leaving him alone in the common room. He wished that they weren't caught up- he was having trouble with some of the calculations.

"Need help?" Teddy looked up to see a smiling Ralph Lewis above him, holding a book. "You look a little bewildered."

Although his first instinct was to be wary, Teddy ignored it. It had been a while since he'd last caught Ralph staring at him from across the room, and had been a good three weeks since the odd encounter at Slughorn's party. Here he was, offering his help, and Teddy really did need it. "Yeah," he sat up, swinging his legs off the sofa, and shuffling over to make room for Ralph. "Yeah, if you don't mind. Astronomy homework. I'm having a little trouble making calculations for where Aries will be located next month."

"Not an issue," Ralph sat down next to him and peered over at the worksheet. "Wow, this is some advanced stuff. I don't think Sinsitra did this with us when we were first-years."

"New curriculum," Teddy replied simply.

"Oh yeah, I'd heard they'd made some changes. Didn't think they could do that much to astronomy though," Ralph smiled.

"Apparently, they can," Teddy laughed. "I'm dreading the exam- I used to love astronomy, until it became difficult."

"The practical's not that bad- hey, do you have a quill?" Teddy handed Ralph his eagle feather. "Thanks. Anyway, the practical's not bad- as long as you're one of those people who can work at night. The theory's a little harder, but it should be okay."

"I hope so," Teddy mumbled.

"Nah, you'll be fine," Ralph reassured him. "Plus, if you're really stuck the night before, you could always just morph into one of the teachers and go check out the papers."

Teddy's eyes widened in shock. "I…I would never do that. I mean, I probably could, but I never would."

Ralph chuckled. "Of course you wouldn't. I'm not promoting it either- I'd never do it. I'm just saying that you could if you wanted to, yeah?"

"Yeah," Teddy said, a little uncomfortably. "I guess."

"How does that work anyway?" Ralph asked, scribbling something on Teddy's paper. "Oh- you need to evaluate the position of the sun and moon first- that'll help you understand where the stars should be."

"How does what work? The morphing?"

"Yeah- is it like polyjuice potion? You know, the potion where you can transform into another person for an hour or so."

"Kind of," Teddy replied tentatively. "Not exactly though. You can transform into another person, and for longer periods than an hour, but you need to know what they look like and recall their appearance from memory."

"So if I asked you to transform into me right now, would you be able to?"

Teddy looked at Ralph's face. He had slightly floppy blonde hair, bright, yet small green eyes, a thin, tall nose with a pointed end and thin lips. His cheekbones were clearly defined- his pale skin pulled over them like a blanket. Teddy scrunched up his nose and felt his features morph into new ones. It felt as if he was a long stick of modeling clay, as if a child was rolling him out and pushing him back together.

"How's that?" he said when he was done. He couldn't tell exactly how he looked without a mirror, but from the shock and amazement on Ralph's face, he could surmise that he'd done a pretty okay job.

"Yeah," Ralph managed, the quill hanging loosely from his fingers. "Yeah, that's pretty impressive alright."

Teddy shook the features back to his own. "I'm getting better- I could never control it properly when I was a kid. I still can't _really _control my hair- but I'm getting there."

"I'd say you're doing quite well," Ralph said graciously. "Man, what I wouldn't give to be able to do all of that. It'd be fantastic- you could go pretty much anywhere you want and no one'd ever know it's you."

"Some people can still recognize me though," Teddy admitted. "My gran's always been able to tell that it's me, even if I'm morphed. I tried it once- I was staying at my best friend's place over the summer, and I morphed into her dad. I went downstairs and I didn't even open my mouth, but my gran knew it was me."

Ralph's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Can anyone here recognize you even when you're morphed?"

Teddy shook his head. "I don't think so, but I'm not sure. I haven't really done a full-on morph here." He was lying of course- but he wasn't about to admit to Ralph that he once wandered around the school at night resembling Professor Longbottom. Especially since it might dredge up memories of Ralph's little midnight visit to the Restricted Section of the library- something Teddy was curious about, but didn't want to ask about. He didn't see any way he'd be able to integrate that into a conversation. _Hi Ralph, how are you? By the way, why were you in the restricted section about a month ago at midnight? Anyway, see you in the common room later! Bye! _

Yeah, that wouldn't go down very well. His curiosity would have to be left unsatisfied. He'd have to satiate himself with solving his astronomy worksheet for now.

* * *

"Are you sure he doesn't mind us coming?" Ella asked for the thousandth time as they made their way across the paved Hogwarts courtyard on an unusually warm Friday afternoon after classes.

"I'm _sure_ Ella," Teddy said, a little irritated at having to repeat himself so many times. "Hagrid said I could bring friends, so I'm bringing you and Alfie. He'll be fine with it."

"That's very nice of him," Ella beamed. "After all, we don't really know him."

"He's lovely," Teddy assured her.

"He's the big giant guy who met us at the platform, yeah?" Alfie confirmed.

Teddy nodded. "But don't call him a giant- he doesn't like it."

"I thought you said he was half-giant."

"Yeah, but the Wizarding World has a little bit of a stigma against giants. Best you don't bring up his heritage. Also, I hope you guys aren't scared of dogs."

"I love dogs!" Ella exclaimed at the same time that Alfie said, "it depends on how big they are."

Teddy laughed. "Fang's quite big, but he's a sweetheart, I promise."

"Fang!?" Alfie looked terrified. "The dog's name is Fang!?"

They approached Hagrid's little thatched hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Teddy noticed Alfie casting cautious looks in the direction of the Forest- he still wasn't quite over the incident in which he'd found himself lost on a broom above the sprawling expanse.

Teddy rapped on the wooden door to the hut. It flung open almost immediately.

"Teddy! Good teh see yeh, good teh see yeh," the large man clapped Teddy on the back forcefully. Teddy struggled to retain his balance, clutching onto Hagrid's arm to prevent himself from falling over.

"Great to see you too, Hagrid!" he said. "Thanks for inviting us for tea!"

"Not a problem, not a' all!" Hagrid replied in his deep, gruff and yet incredibly warm voice. "These'd be yer frien's then, eh Teddy?"

"Pleased to meet you again, Professor Hagrid," Ella held out her hand politely. "I'm Ella Anderson."

"Lovely teh meet yeh," Hagrid returned Ella's handshake with much vigour. "An' please, call me Hagrid."

"I'm Alfie," Alfie said, a little shakily, waving awkwardly.

"Nice teh meet yeh then Alfie," Hagrid replied, grinning. "Well, come in then! All of yeh! Don' min' Fang- he won't hur' a soul, he won'. Now let me find yeh summat teh eat and pu' the kettle on. Make yerselfs comfortable!" He gestured to a wooden table with four rickety chairs. Teddy, Alfie and Ella sat down.

"Is there anything I can do to help Hagrid?" Ella asked. Teddy immediately felt bad- Andromeda always urged him to ask if there was anything he could do to help when he visited other people's houses.

"Oh no, don' yeh worry yerself Ella, I'll be fine, jus' fine," he replied amiably. "Thank yeh fer asking though."

Alfie was regarding Fang with explicit apprehension. "N-nice doggie," he stuttered as the large boarhound gazed up at him.

"Oh stop being so silly Alfie," Teddy dismissed him. "Fang! Come here boy!" The dog plodded over to Teddy and put his head on his lap. Teddy stroked his short, coarse fur absentmindedly.

"Fang really likes yeh Teddy," Hagrid handed out steaming mugs of light tea. "I haven' seen 'im take so well teh someone tha' isn' me fer a while now."

"He's absolutely adorable," Ella said, watching Fang. "Where did you get him, Hagrid?"

"I've 'ad 'im fer a while now," Hagrid said proudly. "Foun' 'im as a puppy, lost in the Forbidden Forest. Scared as a mouse, Fang was, so I rescued 'im, like any decen' person would do. He's bin livin' here ever since."

"I've always wanted to adopt a dog," Ella said, a little sadly. "But my parents would never let me. Too much fur on the carpets, they said." She took a sip of her tea.

Teddy clasped the mug in his hands, the warmth filling every crevice of his body. He took a tiny sip- it was awfully hot and almost burned his throat. He was incredibly surprised when Hagrid took a large gulp of his own tea, amazed that he was able to escape a serious burn.

Hagrid surprised them with a large chocolate cake with a thick layer of messy frosting. "Baked it meself," he said as he cut it up, heaping generous slices of the cake onto Alfie, Ella and Teddy's plates. Teddy was amazed to see Ella devour the pastry- she usually ate light, healthy food and very rarely took to the sugary fare that he and Alfie loved.

"It's amazing, Hagrid," Alfie said, taking a bite. "You ought to teach the House Elves how to make this!" Teddy agreed- the cake was soft and airy (a huge contrast to the rock cakes he'd bitten into the first time he'd visited Hagrid during the full moon), and the icing had just the right consistency and level of sweetness.

Hagrid blushed. "Thank yeh Alfie, means a lot." He sat down next to Teddy and took a large slice of cake for himself. "Yer godfather used teh bring his friends here all the time," he told Teddy. "I'd be glad teh get teh know yours." He smiled at Alfie and Ella who smiled back.

"Well," Teddy said. "I'll let them introduce themselves."

They had only intended to stay for about an hour. But by the time they found themselves walking out of Hagrid's hut, it was already seven PM and they were expected in the Great Hall for dinner- even though Teddy felt as if he couldn't eat another bite, he was so stuffed.

Ella was muttering something about homework that she had to finish and Alfie was holding his stomach, moaning about how he'd eaten too much chocolate cake. But all of them agreed- there was no doubt in their minds that it had been a wonderful evening.

* * *

**A/N: **A bit of a filler chapter really, but I do hope you guys enjoyed it! Again, it was written quite quickly and there may be a few grammatical/formatting errors, so please- if you find any, don't hesitate to message me informing me! I'll make sure to fix them right away.

Anyway, a big HELLO to all my new readers and thank you so much! I'm so amazed at the response that this story has gotten & seeing all your favourites, follows and reviews always makes my day! Also, if you have any questions about anything- from the meanings of chapter titles, to characterization, to little confusing bits about plot points, please please please either pop them in a review or message me! I'll get back to you ASAP (: Also a question from me to you- would you find it helpful if I included dates at the beginning of each chapter, so you can figure out exactly when everything is happening? xx


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